Asche Im Himmel
by LittleMissYuki
Summary: Historia was raised on a farm along with her older sister, Frieda. Far away from society, Historia lives a peaceful life... until she finds a feral teen in the woods. How did he get there? And why doesn't Frieda want her to explore whats beyond the woods? (Medieval Times AU.) ***(CHAPTER 14 OUT NOW!)***
1. Sister, Sister

"Historia!"

It was her morning ritual. Wake up early in the morning, make breakfast, and do her daily chores. Those chores often lasted all day, leaving her exhausted and sore by sunset. Unfortunately, that was the reality of being a young adult. That's what her sister always said, at least. The little family of three lived in the countryside; far away from what Historia's sister calls The Land of the Failed. From what she told her, their mother brought them to the farm when they were infants. She raised the girls until they were capable of doing hard work, and ever since they've been in charge of keeping the farm alive.

Just as Historia rubbed the sleep from her blue eyes, her older sister burst into the bedroom and hopped on the bed, only to shake her back and forth. "Historia! How many times do I have to wake you up?"

"I was already awake, Frieda." Historia covered her face with the bed sheets.

"Liar!" Frieda giggled and yanked the sheet away. She continued to shake her little sister to keep her from falling asleep again. "Come on, Historia. We have a lot of work to do today. Winter is coming, after all."

"Do we ever _not_ have work to do?" Historia asked sarcastically as she sat up. Frieda shook her head with a smile on her face. Historia sighed, but couldn't be irritated, so she grinned. Although doing chores were tedious, her sister always made it fun for the both of them.

Frieda was like her exemplar. Ever since she was a child, Historia had looked up to her and learned most of the skills needed to be a responsible adult. Frieda taught her how to cook, clean, take care of the animals on their farm and even taught her how to read and write. It was a shame to say that Freida was, essentially, a motherly figure throughout her childhood. But it wasn't as if their mother neglected them.

Their mother just… stopped trying.

Just as they finished preparing breakfast with whatever food they had, Frieda told Historia to call their mother over, and she walked over to their mother's bedroom. She carefully opened the door. "Mother?" she called. The woman who created her stood by the window, daydreaming. Historia called her again, but she didn't react at all. The teen went closer to her mother and tapped her shoulder, and her head jerked to Historia's direction. "Breakfast is ready," Historia said, nervous. Her mother just stared at her and didn't say a word. She was worried about her mother. Each day, the woman withdrew herself from her kids more and more. Whenever Historia tried to talk to her or ask her what was wrong, her mother would either stare with a stoic expression or demand the girl to go away. Frieda, on the other hand, had a way with words; whenever she talked to their mother, the woman broke into tears. Perhaps she was depressed due to something that happened in her past. Or maybe she was ill in the head. Historia did not know. And she probably never will.

Once Historia managed to get her mom out of the room, the family of three began to eat the food together like a real family would. It was a plain breakfast: barley bread and porridge. Historia used to hate eating porridge because of the taste. But Frieda used to tell her to always be grateful of what she had, because resources always run out. Eventually, they finished eating in silence and cleaned up after themselves. Their mother slowly walked back into her room, still without saying a word to her daughters. Historia wondered what was on her mind. "It's time to go outside," Frieda caught her sister's attention, after putting things away.

Historia blinked. "Oh, right…"

"Don't worry about mom," Frieda patted her head. "She'll be fine."

"Are you not concerned for her?"

"I am." Frieda walked with her sibling to the front door and opened it. "But sometimes… you just have to live with it."

It was a beautiful autumn morning. The sky was a bright blue with cumulus clouds spread about. The trees were a mixture of orange and red. The grassland they lived in was vast and seemingly endless. Over in the distance was a long fence that prevented the animals from running into the forest. It took Frieda three years to build the fence. Historia always wondered what was beyond the forest; she wanted to know what the Land of the Failed was, but Frieda made her sister promise to never go past the fence. Because if Historia ever broke the promise, Frieda wouldn't be very nice about it.

They started their errands by first watering and fertilizing the crops. This took a while, considering that they stretched for miles. The siblings took whatever was done growing and put it into a basket. They brought the crops and rinsed the dirt off with well-water to make them safe to eat. Soon, they did their laundry; Frieda always had them ready. Together they filled up buckets of well-water and scrubbed their dresses and sheets all by hand. They often got off track by splashing water on each other as a way of making it fun.

After hanging the laundry to dry in the wind, it was time to do one of Historia's personal favorite errands: checking up on the animals. Frieda stood up and tied her black hair into a pony tail. "Alright, sis," she smiled. "I'll deal with the horses and chickens. I need you to get milk from the cows and count the goats."

Historia frowned. "Wait a minute. We had a deal."

Her sister chuckled. She knew how much Historia loved their horses. Sometimes Frieda would catch her riding one of them in the field. "Fine. You care for the horses and count the goats to make sure they didn't run off again. I'll deal with the rest. Alright?"

"Got it." Historia nodded and tied her blonde hair up into a pony tail as well. She ran off to the rotting stable where they kept all six of their horses. One by one she took them out and brushed their hair, fed them and let them drink out of the water trough. One of the horses were pregnant, so she took extra care of of it.

Eventually, Historia got to the goats. They were all sprawled out in the field, peacefully eating grass without a care in the world. The family of three didn't have many goats; there were only twenty of them, and it was tough to make them mate with each other. Around the goats' necks were leather collars with numbers taped on them to make the counting process easier. And so Historia went. Each goat she counted seemed healthy and lively.

Except… one was missing.

"Damn it," she thought. She had to tell Frieda. It wasn't a big deal though, because she'd know what to do. When Historia caught up to her, she told her about the missing goat.

"Really? It's been a while since they've done that." Frieda said.

"What should I do?"

"Well… I'll try to call for it, like I usually do. But if it doesn't come back, then it probably jumped over the fence and got lost."

More time went by, and the sun began to set. They never found the missing goat. Instead, they finished up the rest of their errands and Freida prepared dinner at the house. While she did, Historia stood outside and collected firewood for the fireplace. She usually tried to stay outside as much as possible. The world around her was beautiful and worth exploring. She believed it was a shame that she'll never be able to explore beyond the woods, because she wanted to see others like them. She had no idea what men looked like, except for in the books Frieda gave her. Historia had always hoped that something out of the ordinary would happen to them. She walked over to the fence and stared into the forest, taking in the fall colors.

It wasn't until she heard twigs snapping in the distance. Although, she didn't think of it at first. But the sound became frequent and repetitive. Suddenly, a piercing, animal-like shriek came from the woods and startled her. She dropped all the wood from my hands. Maybe it was the missing goat, she thought. Maybe it was hurt. She couldn't just leave. She had to save it. Before leaving, she remembered the promise she made to her sister. But she wouldn't be breaking it if Frieda didn't know what she was doing, right?

Historia carefully went over the fence and walked into the woods. She made sure that she was on the path. The sounds of twigs snapping got louder and louder. Then, she saw something- or some _one_ -and hid behind a tree. When she peeked her head out to see what was there, her heart nearly stopped.

It was the missing goat… being eaten alive by what looked like a human. This human had the goat's blood all over them and wore only torn pants. And it didn't look like a female to her. "H-hey," Historia called out. The human turned his head to look at her. His face was covered with blood and dirt, yet his eyes were a striking golden and his hair was a mess of brown. He was young, probably around Historia's age. "You killed my goat! You monster!" she teared up, but remained collected. The human unhurriedly picked himself up, and grabbed the dagger he used to kill the goat with. She was scared, yet amazed. "You're a boy…"

The male suddenly ran up to Historia and grabbed her neck. He didn't squeeze it, though; instead, he took a good look at her and smelled her hair. It was as if he'd never seen another human before. But she didn't trust him. Historia immediately pushed him away and ran back to the path. She didn't look back. She was so afraid for her life that she cried on the way home.

Luckily, she made it to the house just before dinner was ready and met her sister with an embrace and cried in her arms. "Are you alright? What happened out there, Historia? Tell me!"

Historia didn't tell her sister of what she saw out there. She feared that Frieda would hate hate for breaking the promise. So, she just kept crying.

Were all men like that boy? Did they all act like savages?

Was that the reason Freida told Historia to never go beyond the fence?


	2. Indescribable Sight

When Historia was a young girl, Frieda used to tell her stories of princesses and unicorns. Every single one of those stories ended on a good note; the prince saves his princess, and they all live happily ever after. Once Frieda finished the stories, Historia would always ask one single question before entering her dreams: will _they_ ever live happily ever after?

Frieda just smile and tell her how silly she was. "We already are!"

"How?" Historia would ask. "We've never seen the rest of the world. No prince will be able to save us when we are in danger."

"We don't need a prince to save us, Historia. We don't need to see the rest of the world. The most important part is that we stick together… by being a family, we are already living happily ever after." Frieda would then kiss her sister's forehead. Before she left the room, Historia's next question brought Frieda to a halt: "Is that why you don't want me to cross the fence?"

Historia was curious and naïve. She didn't know what the world was truly like, so she often disobeyed her sister. And when she asked that question, Frieda wouldn't dare to look in her direction. It was as if Historia triggered something inside of Frieda, yet did not know what. "Correct," Frieda would say, nearly breaking down. "Beyond the fence is forbidden… go past it and you'll never have a happy ending. Never."

Now an adolescent, Historia still hadn't a clue of what the world was like. But she had an idea. What she saw in the woods started to make sense to her. Perhaps males were the issue. Perhaps all men had turned on women like her mother, who was forced to bring the girls somewhere where they could live free from harm's way. Historia wanted to hate the men. Yet why would she if she didn't know the truth? She knew she would be ignorant by assuming things like that.

She never ate supper. Instead, she hid herself in her room and laid on her side, trying to cry herself to sleep. She didn't know what upset her more: an animal's life being brutally stolen, or the fact that a feral human would have tried to steal her own. To top it all off, she broke a promise that protected her from danger. After a long while, Frieda knocked on her door and peeked inside with a worried look. Frieda knew something was wrong with her little sister. "Hey, sis. Are you alright?"

Historia sat up and wiped her eyes. "I'm fine."

Frieda chuckled, came over and sat beside her on her bed. "Oh really? You come running into the house like something has frightened you. You surely don't think I'll believe that don't you? What is the matter?"

If Historia told her the truth, Frieda would never forgive her. "I thought I saw something out there, running after me…"

"Like what?"

"Perhaps it was one of the animals… it was getting dark. I just didn't feel safe out there."

Frieda was confused. "Is that why you came in crying?" When Historia nodded, Frieda thought for a moment to try to put the pieces together. But she saw Historia's sad face and couldn't bear to see it that way any longer. "Don't worry. There's nothing to fear. I'm sure it was one of the animals playing tricks on you, just as you said!"

"Can I ask you something, Frieda?" Historia asked suddenly, for something in her mind was bothering her.

"Of course. Anything!"

"What are men like…?" Historia asked again. Her sister abruptly laughed and shook her head. She stood up from the bed and didn't even know where to start. "I'm surprised you want to know so soon! Then again, you _are_ at that age where _everything_ starts to change in your body…"

"Not in _that_ way!"

"I'm teasing," Frieda replied, and soon sighed. "To tell you the truth, I don't know myself… but mother does. She used to tell me that they were strong and kind. They were brave and always protected us… that is, until they changed."

Historia tilted her head. "Changed?"

"Yes. Mother went through some things in her life that had to do with men. And while she doesn't talk too much about it, none of those things are positive."

Then, the teen had an idea. "Do _you_ think they can change?" Frieda chuckled and went to the door. "It's easier said than done. Some do, some do not. It takes time." She was hiding something; she would always head to the door whenever Historia asked something that needed a thorough explanation. But she didn't mind. Instead, she thanked Frieda and felt better. If it was possible for men to change, then perhaps Historia wanted to go look for that boy she found in the woods. That way, she could have a better understanding of what the world was like and figure out where he came from. It was risky, but because of her sister's comforting words, Historia felt it was best to be brave. Still, if Frieda found out, she would never let Historia out of her sight again.

* * *

The next morning went by faster than the shooting stars. Once the sisters finished eating breakfast with their mother, who still didn't want to speak a word to them, Frieda and Historia headed outside to begin their daily chores as usual. Historia did her best to act normal by doing everything her sister asked... yet even Frieda noticed Historia's sudden, increased energy. But Frieda didn't question it; instead, she praised her little sister for being such a great help. Once the sky began to turn orange, Frieda allowed Historia to stay outside while making dinner as a reward, and Historia thanked her. Frieda trusted that her little sister wouldn't run off or violate any rules.

Once Historia saw Frieda close the door of the house behind her, Historia ran straight for the barn where all their horses lived. She went into an empty stable and found a blanket with items underneath it on the ground. She took the blanket off to reveal a little bell and a sack full of raw meat that she grabbed from the house without Frieda knowing. The male in the woods would surely enjoy it, bearing in mind he ate her goat alive. She just hoped the meat wasn't spoiled, because it had been sitting there for an hour. After grabbing the sack and the little bell, Historia ran out of the barn and went to the long, seemingly endless wooden fence that divided the grassland from the woods and carefully climbed over it. She took a deep breath, constantly reminding herself to be back before the sun set completely, and began walking. She remained on the path; everything was peaceful and quiet. The autumn leaves fell with the breeze all around her and she heard nothing but the songs of the cicadas. She started to shake the small bell in her hands and stayed alert for any sign of the feral boy.

Eventually, Historia realized that she was going too far. The entry to the woods from where she came had disappeared into the distance, so she stopped walking. She didn't want to get lost, and the sun was almost down. The boy was nowhere to be found... what was the point of continuing? Disappointed that she'll most likely never see him again, she turned around and began to make her way back to the farm.

Until she heard dead leaves crunching.

Historia twisted her head, searching for the source of the sound. It came from an area off the path but she didn't want to follow it. The noise grew louder and closer until it evolved into human-like, fast-paced steps. Worried, she continued to speed her way back home, realizing that what she was doing was a bad idea. All of a sudden, she tripped to the ground, dropping everything in my hands when a rock was thrown at her leg and caused her to cry out in pain. She sat there, clutching her leg without paying any mind to her surroundings.

When Historia finally looked up, he was there, standing before her. Far behind him sat two red foxes as if they were his protectors, watching her every move. The boy stood tall as before, glaring at her with those golden irises of his while gripping the same dagger in his hand. She didn't look away because any sudden move could've been taken as a threat; so, she inhaled and tried to remain calm. "Hey there," Historia said in a soft voice. "I won't hurt you." She carefully grabbed the sack of meat. One of the foxes stood up and growled as the boy backed away, not trusting her. Although amazed, Historia held both her hands up immediately. "Don't be scared," she told him. "I mean no harm… I have something for you."

Without losing eye contact with him, Historia began to reach for the sack again. Once it was in her possession, she pulled out a handful of raw meat from inside and the blood dripped through her fingers. She held it up toward him. "Here, you must be very hungry. I understand now of why you killed my goat. You're only trying to survive." The boy blinked and took a few steps forward to take a look at what was in her hands. He was intrigued, yet he hesitated, and her arms grew weary. But she continued to offer it to him.

He waved at the animals behind him and they ran away in a matter of seconds, and snatched the raw meat from Historia's hands. He dropped to his knees and devoured it as if he had never eaten a thing in his entire life. She couldn't stop watching him eat with his bare hands; being that close to another human being, especially a male, who acted in that nature was somehow uncanny and astonishing all at the same time. She reached her hand out to touch his messy hair out of sheer curiosity, just to see what it felt like. She never thought she'd see a male in her life; but now that the boy was sitting before her, the reality of it seemed like a dream come true. However, once he finished eating and realized that a something was touching his head, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to the ground with immense strength. He held her down with the dagger towards her neck and growled under his breath, and for a moment she was scared that he would kill her. Perhaps he really wasn't used to human contact after all. "I'm sorry," Historia said. "I didn't mean to make you angry."

But the boy wasn't angry for long. After taking a good look into her eyes, he must have realized something about her and threw the dagger aside. She froze as he carefully touched her face; he took his time caressing the shape of her nose, lips and cheeks. He then fondled with her hair and smelled it continuously. "You've never seen a girl like me before, have you?" Historia asked him, although she of course wouldn't receive an answer back. When he was done with her face, he touched her neck to feel for a pulse without the intention of stopping it, and gently slid his hands toward her chest.

Historia grabbed his hands before he could do so. "I have to go," she remembered, as the sky was just about to transition from blue to black. Frieda might have been looking for her. Surprisingly, the male moved away from Historia and allowed her to sit up. She picked herself up to her feet without feeling anymore pain in her leg. When she turned around to say goodbye to the male, he was gone. He had run off into the woods.

Historia left the little bell on the ground as a way to mark where she was, and ran down the trail that brought her home. By the time she went over the fence, Frieda had just come out of the house to call for her. She was lucky. And she learned a lot. Maybe some men _can_ change, Historia thought. If her mother and Frieda accused the men of being uncivilized savages, then perhaps an act of kindness was required to transform them.

Historia wanted to see the boy again. She wondered where he came from. It made her sick imagining all of the trauma he must have been through. And even though her mother had negative experiences with men who caused physical pain, Historia knew the boy in the woods was definitely not one of them.


	3. Hidden Shelter

Every early morning, while her mother and sister slept, Historia made it her business to see the boy in woods. She would sneak out of her room and quietly gather some food from the kitchen. Then she would leave the house and run off into the woods to find him. With every meeting, she did everything she could to build a sense of trust between them.

Their days usually consisted of Historia trying to communicate with the boy by bringing books and teaching him letters to correctly introduce each other, although he lost interest after a short time. She would also spend time watching him climb trees to kill squirrels that he'd give to her as gifts, and following him off the path to a tree with a large hole inside; the place where, she assumed, he resided. The hole was small and only fit for one body, and the boy proved this after he allowed Historia to crawl inside of it. "So, this is where you sleep," she said, feeling cramped inside of the tree. "It must be even more uncomfortable for you, since you're taller than I…"

The boy then tried to squeeze himself inside with her. She couldn't leave any room for him, as there wasn't any left. He quit and removed himself with disappointment. That's when Historia realized something. "You're lonely out here, aren't you?" Like always, he said nothing and stabbed the ground with the same dagger he had all the time, obviously frustrated. Historia soon began to feel a certain way, and crawled out of the hole. He watched her stand up and stretch her arms. "The forest is a beautiful place, especially in the fall," she then faced him. "But when winter comes… where will you go? You can't possibly stay here by yourself. You could freeze to death."

He blinked as Historia held her hand toward him. He needed a friend. She couldn't imagine the amount of time he must have been living in the forest like some wild animal without any form of human contact. He was missing warmth, comfort, and love, and Historia desired to provide all three of those things. "Come with me," she said, waiting for the adolescent to take her hand. Instead, he sighed and crawled into the tree hole. He sat there, hugging his knees. Historia frowned. "You can't live there forever, you know." She reached her hand out for him, but he refused to take it again. So, she stood up and turned away to leave him there. But it wasn't until he changed his mind and followed.

It would be risky, but Historia decided that it was best for him to stay with her. Of course, she wouldn't let him in the house, for he only trusted her. There was an empty, decent sized shed not too far from the barn, and she told the boy that he could stay there. Nobody used the shed; Frieda stored all the farming tools in the barn, making the shed a perfect place to live in. Historia gave the boy plenty of blankets and pillows, but it took time for him to get used to sleeping in there for he was used to fending for himself.

Historia checked on him twice each day: once before sunrise and once after dusk. Her sister was clueless, as she never figured out any differences in Historia's behavior. To keep him healthy, she would secretly bring him some of Frieda's porridge, give him better clothes to wear and continue trying to communicate with him by playing games and teaching him the alphabet. He struggled to concentrate, probably because it was boring for him. But the one thing he did learn over time, was how to say yes or no… physically, at least. Whenever Historia asked him simple questions, he'd nod or shake his head.

"Do you like it here?" she once asked, and he nodded.

"Are you scared of me?"

He shook his head.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

He was unsure for a moment, but eventually nodded again. Then, she had an idea. "I just remembered. I never told you my name! Do you know what that is?" He blinked at Historia and then looked away. She picked up a book containing the alphabet and opened it. For a while, Historia taught him how each letter should be pronounced and then pointed to herself. "My name is Historia," she told him and repeated her name once more, and soon pointed at him.

The boy faced her and glanced at the book with the alphabet in it. Intrigued, he crawled over to her and snatched the book from her hand to take a good look at it. "What are you doing?" Historia questioned him. She watched as he intensively stared at the book.

He pointed at four letters and looked at her. Historia asked him to do it again for her to see. He must have associated the pronunciation with letters instead of knowing what they meant, because she watched him silently spell out a four-letter word. It took her a moment to understand it; she had to say it in her head several times. That's when she realized that it wasn't just a word. "Eren," Historia said out loud. "That's your name, isn't it?"

He nodded with a serious face. The girl smiled and began to laugh. "Nice to meet you!"

* * *

Two days passed, and Historia's mother and sister had yet to figure anything out, which she was grateful for. After a long day doing the same tedious farm chores with Frieda, Historia told her that she would fetch firewood. However, before she could run off, Frieda stopped her. "Historia… I have a favor to ask of you." She had said.

"Of course," Historia replied.

"I need you to make dinner for us."

"Me?" the teen tilted her head in confusion. This wasn't like Frieda, for she enjoyed making food.

"Yes. You remember how to do it, correct? I need to chop up more wood, so the least you could do is help me." Frieda grinned, but for whatever reason, she didn't seem very happy with her little sister. Historia blinked at her and hesitantly agreed to make dinner. Frieda patted Historia's head and walked away. Something felt off. The last time Frieda acted that way was when she had suspicion of Historia being disobedient behind her back when Historia was younger.

Without asking anymore questions, Historia headed straight for the house and prepared dinner. She repeatedly looked out of the window hoping that Frieda wouldn't go into the shed. If Frieda did, it would be a nightmare, considering that Eren had not seen her yet. Historia sliced up three carrots with a knife and dropped them into a pot of water, boiling over a fire. She anxiously glanced out of the window again, yet there was no sign of her sister outside. Sighing with relief, she turned around to continue cooking.

"Ah!" she recoiled. Her mother had been standing behind her all along. "Mother… you shouldn't sneak up on people like that." Historia smiled at her mother, who didn't say anything. She stared into Historia's eyes, leaving the teen uncomfortable. "Are you alright?" Historia asked. "Did you want anything?"

Still not a word. "Mother? You can always talk to me… you understand that… do you not?" Before Historia could touch her shoulder, her creator smacked Historia's hand away with anger. Taken aback, Historia asked her as calmly as possible, "What is the matter with you?" Her mother looked away and began to tear up. It was obvious that she was upset… but for what reason? "Mother," Historia began. "Don't cry, now. I'll take you to your room."

"It's all your fault," the mother finally opened her mouth. Her voice was puny and it cracked with every word she spoke.

Historia did not expect this. "What do you mean?"

"It's all _your_ fault!" She repeated herself, this time screaming. Historia didn't know what her mother meant. Historia wanted to cheer her up; she disliked seeing her mother that way. "Mother," she slowly walked up to the woman. "I do not know what I did wrong… but I'm sorry. Please don't be this way." Historia stretched her arms out to give her mother a hug, in hopes that a little love would soothe her pain.

But she was wrong.

Historia's mother realized what was going on and swung her hand across, striking the right side of Historia's face so hard that her ears rang for a split second. Historia lost her balance and collapsed. She glanced up at her mother while rubbing the immense pain in her cheek. "How could you…?" she could barely whisper, yet did not cry. The woman standing before her continued to glare at her with tears in her eyes. Historia wanted to hate her. But she didn't understand her motive. So, Historia scrambled to her feet and ran past her, leaving the house. "Frieda!" she called her sister for help. Frieda knew what to do when their mother acted out… especially in _that_ manner.

However, Frieda was not where she said she would be. Even more nervous, Historia ran to the shed and slammed the door open. Eren, who was trying to rest, immediately jolted himself up with fear as she closed the door behind her. "She's not here," Historia said, relieved, and slumped to the ground. Eren blinked and calmed himself. He noticed that she was upset and crawled towards her to look at the mark on her cheek. "I am fine," Historia turned away from him and shivered from the cold air trapped inside the shed. Eren didn't know what to do; he just sat before her with his legs crossed.

"I'm sorry," she soon told him. "I was going to check on you, but… I couldn't. I think I did something wrong, Eren… but I do not know what!" A rush of melancholy filled her body, but she did not tear, for she was stronger than that… at least she believed it so. Eren moved a few strands of Historia's hair away from her face, and she blushed. "I-I'm fine, really!" With that, Eren smiled tenderly at her for the first time. She smiled as well, since she was beginning to feel better. There was a unique connection between them... but they didn't understand what it was.

Suddenly, the shed's door was pulled open. There Frieda was, carrying a candle lantern. "Historia! There you are-" she stopped and frowned when she noticed the boy sitting with Historia. "What is that?" Frieda asked, trying to refrain herself from freaking out.

Historia stood up with fear. "Frieda! Please let me explain! Mother hit me after accusing me of something, and I could not find you-"

"That wasn't the question, Historia." Frieda replied, cutting her off. "I asked you: what is that _thing_ sitting on the floor?"

"I-I saved him," Historia admitted. "He was the one who ate one of the goats. But he was just hungry! So… so, I've been giving him shelter. But he won't hurt you! I promise!"

Frieda unexpectedly began to laugh. "So, let me get this straight. You brought a wild _animal_ into our property and made it your little pet?"

"I know this sounds bad, but I can assure you that-"

"On _top_ of that, not only have you been stealing food from us, you disobeyed me by going over the fence! Is that correct?"

"I didn't… I didn't…" Historia couldn't speak. Her sister grabbed her arms and pulled her close.

"Don't you lie to me!" Frieda shouted. Her eyes spoke both anger and anxiety; she felt deeply betrayed over something so little. "Why did you disobey me, Historia?! Why did you bring that _thing_ into our home?! Huh?! Why did you go over the fence?! Tell me!"

Frieda didn't let Historia go. Seeing Frieda so upset was what finally caused Historia's eyelids to fill up with water. She couldn't blame her sister's emotions; Historia knew she was guilty. She messed up. "I'm… I'm sorry, Frieda!"

"Idiot!" Frieda threw her aside and she bumped into the wooden wall. "Not only have you risked _your_ life, you risked your family's! Because of your curiosity, you brought a monster onto our hands!" She grabbed Historia's arms and dragged her out of the shed against her will. Eren stood up and backed as far away as possible.

As soon as Frieda dropped Historia outside, the teen ran right back and blocked the entrance to the shed so that Frieda wouldn't go to Eren. "Stop it! He's not a monster, I swear! He trusts me!"

Frieda grabbed the axe she left outside on the grass after cutting wood. "What don't you understand, Historia?! Monsters do not change! _He_ is the problem! That thing doesn't belong here! You're so stupid!"

"Why can't you just tell me the truth?!" Historia screamed. "Why must _everything_ be a secret?!"

"Because it's for your own good!" Frieda shoved her little sister out of the way and went in the shed. "No! Please don't hurt him!" Historia begged, trying to hold her sister back. Frieda, being slightly stronger, pushed Historia away again and went over to Eren with her axe raised up high. "Die, you fucking _monster!_ "

Before she could swing at him, Eren tackled Frieda and they fell to the floor. Historia watched as Eren swiftly and furiously slice a single line across Frieda's cheek with his dagger. He grabbed her neck and squeezed it as tight as possible. Frieda's skin gradually turned blue and she struggled to breathe. "Eren stop!" Historia demanded. "Please don't kill her! Please!"

Frieda kicked her legs around and grabbed Eren's arms, trying to fight him off, but he was too strong. Historia kept begging for Eren to let Frieda live, but he was so focused on trying to protect himself that he couldn't hear a word. Historia's sister was slowly beginning to die, and she could not stop herself from sobbing uncontrollably.

Eren looked up and saw his friend. Despite being at a distance, he saw the terror in her eyes; something inside of him told him that wrath wasn't necessary. He couldn't kill the girl. He just couldn't

Instead, he gave Frieda mercy and let go of her. When he got up, Historia's sister gasped for air and covered her bloody cheek. Eren took the dagger, walked out of the shed, and just left Frieda inside to recover on her own. Historia wiped her eyes and tried to pull herself together, but there was no use. Eren watched her cry for a while, until he had enough and decided to use his strength to pick her up from the ground. "What are you doing…?" she asked. Still saying not a word, Eren carried Historia away towards the forest. She said nothing as he hopped over the short fence and walked down the dirt path, and she gazed at his profile. Not only was he protecting himself… he was protecting her.

Historia laid her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. She didn't know where they were going, but she didn't care. All she really wanted, was the truth about the world she lived in.


	4. Stranger Danger

The rays of the sun blinded Historia's eyes the moment she opened them. She shielded the light with her hand and observed what was above: the carroty trees and the blue sky peeking beneath them. She carefully sat herself up and studied her surroundings. She had been sleeping on a patch of fallen leaves. Despite being in the middle of the woods, before her was a tranquil stream. Historia did not recognize the area she was in; Eren carried her all the way there while she slept. The memories of the night before rushed through her mind almost immediately and she rubbed her cheek that Historia's mother struck with her hand. The pain somehow lingered.

Historia turned her head to the left when she felt something breathing on the side of her neck. To her surprise, it was a red fox. Instead of running away out of fear or trying to bite her, its temperament was curious and gentle. "Hello there," she smiled. The fox blinked its eyes. She noticed how unusual they were. Although yellow in hue, they almost seemed to glow. She reached her hand out and stroked the fox's furry head. She had never been this close to a fox, let alone touch one, despite living around animals all her life. The fox nuzzled its snout under the girl's chin as a likely sign of respect. But before she could pet its head again, the fox suddenly jolted its head up and she watched its eyes change from a lively, radiant yellow into a deep, soulless brown. Historia blinked as the fox ran away from her as if she had frightened it. "What just happened?" she thought to herself.

A dozen apples seemed to have fallen from the sky, but when Historia glanced above her, she realized that they just came from Eren's hands. "Oh, there you are," she said out loud and looked at the apples. "Are these for me?"

After Eren nodded, he went toward the stream and picked up a rock to sharpen his dagger. Although the girl appreciated that he gave her some apples to eat, she was not hungry, so she picked herself up from the ground and silently walked over to him. "Hey," she called, but he did not turn to her. "Where are we, exactly?" Eren still did not face her; instead, he continued to sharpen the blade. Historia sighed and looked at the scenery. While doing so, she remembered what he did for her the night before. "How rude of me. I never thanked you… for helping me." she said, and then remembered how he nearly killed her sister. "But at the same time, what you did was absolutely unnecessary. You could have murdered Frieda."

The adolescent boy made a sound oddly similar to a scoff and studied his dagger to see how sharp it was. Historia narrowed her eyes and took his shoulder as she scolded, "I'm serious!"

Eren shook her off and began to take off the long-sleeved shirt she gave him when she was sheltering him and threw it on the ground. For a fresh piece of clothing that she made especially for him to feel more like a human, he sure hated taking care of it. It was already filthy and torn up, just like the baggy silk shorts he'd been wearing ever since she met him.

Historia folded her arms with disappointment; however, just as he walked into the stream, she noticed something on his back. Faded lines, both curved and straight, overlaid his skin as if he had been either attacked by an animal or severely whipped. Seeing those lines made her skin crawl… the pain he received must've been unbearable.

She shook it off. She did not want to bring it up. "We… we need to go back." she finally said. "My sister must be worried sick."

Eren suddenly stabbed something that was swimming under the water. He took out the small, dead fish that the blade struck right through. Although impressed, Historia continued to remind him of her favor. "I want to go back home, Eren."

The boy ignored her again as he walked out of the stream and began to eat the fish he caught. Frustrated, she stopped him in his tracks by going in his way. "Listen to me," she sighed, "I know you don't want to go back to the farm… but it is the only way I can keep you safe. I need to make amends with my sister, as well. And so should you! I want you to get to know her, just as we did for each other." With that, Eren glared at her and threw what he was eating away. She didn't back away, though. She stood her ground and meant what she said. If she could just teach her sister to get used to Eren and learn that he was not as dangerous as he seemed to be, and vice versa, then everything would be peaceful. Historia knew she made a mistake… but she wanted to make it right.

Rather than getting upset, Eren just sighed and turned away, walking for the pile of apples he dropped on the floor for his friend. He picked one up and insisted that she eat it by handing it to her. "I'm not hungry," she rejected his offer. He was going to keep on insisting when he heard a something coming from the woods. "What's wrong?" Historia asked, for she did not hear anything. He concentrated on the sound until he realized where it was coming from. He took her hand and ran for it. "Wait! Where are we going?"

Because he ran so quick, she lost her footing and tripped to the ground. She continued to call for Eren as she hoisted herself back up. She did not see where he went, so she just stood there and waited for him to realize that she wasn't beside him.

After a few minutes, a deep, raspy voice caught her attention. "Hey, there!"

Historia spun around to see two tall men wearing bulky clothing and carrying sacks. These men were much, much older than Eren; the wrinkles on their faces and grey hair proved it. "Um…h-hello…" she stuttered nervously.

"Now, what's a pretty little thing like you doing out here in the woods by yourself?" The man with the raspy voice asked.

"N-nothing."

"Aw, come on now, don't be shy," he replied, "How old are you?"

She looked at the ground. "Fifteen…"

"Fifteen?!" The man nearly gasped. "A child! You should be with your mother. She's probably worried sick!"

She didn't know what else to say, for they were strangers. She wanted to believe that they were genuine, but something told her not to. The second man did not help at all; he stared at her as if he had never seen a girl before and made her extremely uncomfortable. Then, an idea popped into his head. "Say," he asked his friend, "Isn't that the Age of Independence?"

"Hm, you're right." The man with the raspy voice replied and studied the girl from head to toe.

Historia was slightly interested. Never did she hear of that term. "Age of… Independence?"

"Of course." The first man nodded and smiled at her. "That means you're of age to marry." He slowly began to approach her. "It also means that you're free to have as _many_ children as you want."

"Huh?" she was confused. Suddenly, the man grabbed her hand and pulled her against her will to a tree. He pinned her to the tree trunk and looked into her eyes while the other man cheerily watched. Her entire image of kindness and generosity that she had assigned for the two men were shredded into bits and pieces. "Let me go!" she demanded and struggled to be free.

The man just laughed. "What a beautiful creature… a maiden like no other. I never thought I'd be standing before an angel like you."

"Get off! Eren! Help!" Historia yelled for her friend and kept trying to escape by kicking her legs. However, when the man grabbed her neck, she froze in fear. "Now you be a good girl," he whispered. Clearly, this man wasn't going to let her go until he got something out of his system. "I, as well as many others like me, have been searching for the perfect maiden for years: young and doll-faced, no physical imperfections, and pure of heart. And you, my dear, fit into that category."

"We should take her with us," said the second man, "Her youthfulness will make us richer than the king himself!"

The king? Whatever he was speaking of, Historia did not want to be a part of it. The man holding her against the tree thought about what his friend said and nodded. "I agree." He then turned to her to stroke her head, and she flinched. "But then again, who's to say we can't have our share first?"

Historia widened her eyes in terror and her heart raced. She did not know what he wanted, but she knew it wasn't something good. Frieda was right about one thing: not all men are good people. Maybe this was one of the reasons why Historia's mother was miserable all the time. "If only I wasn't so naïve," she thought. If only she had listened to her blood. The world was indeed worth exploring and learning, but she should have never gotten herself into this situation.

In the blink of an eye, one hand reached from behind and grabbed the man's forehead, while another hand holding a sharp blade sliced his throat open in a matter of seconds. The man's blood spurted all over Historia's face as he choked on it and collapsed to his demise. Terrified, she watched as Eren knelt to the body and made sure it was dead by constantly stabbing it. "Dear god! How could you?!" The second man cried. He saw the entire thing and immediately wanted to avenge his friend's death. "You monster!"

Just as the man bolted for them with a carving knife of his own, Eren stood up in an instant and stared at the incoming man with his golden eyes. Before the man could even touch them, seven red foxes ran to the man's direction and pounced on him. Flailing his limbs, he screamed at the top of his lungs as the wild foxes ripped him apart with their teeth. Eren approached the ongoing attack, and Historia advised him not to go any closer, but the foxes didn't seem to notice him. Once he was satisfied, he raised his hand; the foxes with blood on their fur stood down and peacefully walked away as if nothing happened. "Is he controlling them?" Historia thought to herself.

She silently went up to Eren and saw the mutilated body on the ground. There was blood splattered all over the grass and the open wounds on the body were so deep that she could see his organs trying to peek out. She wiped her face with her sleeve and turned to Eren who, rather sadly, gazed at the corpse. Historia thought it was strange. He had no shame when it came to killing at a necessary time. Perhaps he never enjoyed ending lives in the first place. So, she took his arm and glanced at him. "You did the right thing."

Instead of snatching his arm away, he just shook his head. Historia gave him a tight hug, and didn't expect it; but he did not push her away. Her arms were wrapped around his waist as she leaned on his bare chest. She didn't care that he was filthy. She appreciated her only friend. He protected her from danger, and she could not be any more thankful. He cared for her, and Historia cared for him in return. "Thank you."

* * *

Eventually Eren decided to stroll through the woods, and Historia followed him. She could not find the dirt path that led them home and she grew worried at the fact that they might not be able to find it again. Frieda was probably worried sick about her, now that the sisters separated on bad terms. If only Frieda remained calm and tried to understand what Historia was trying to accomplish. She did not blame her sister's anger, though.

There were plenty of other things that kept her mind active. Historia initially wondered why her mother told her that she was at fault. Did her mother find out about how her daughter was sheltering Eren? Or was she just having a mental breakdown? And what was the place that Frieda called the Land of the Failed? Historia had so many other questions to ask Eren, especially of his origins, how he controlled the foxes and where he got the scars on his back from. The two older men Eren had slayed spoke of some strange things as well, and for whatever reason, she was special to them.

The sun was still out. The forest was as peaceful, birds chirping in the distance and the wind blowing the leaves off the branches. She tried her best to keep up with her friend by preventing herself from tripping on logs and rocks. "Can I ask you something?" she asked Eren, who stopped to check to see if she was close by. She stumbled her way beside him and remembered that she could only ask him yes or no questions. "Can you control animals?"

He hesitated, but soon nodded. He knew she was going to figure it out one way or another.

"So… you controlled the fox that was beside me when I woke up, and those other foxes who attacked that man." she said, and smiled. "How amazing!"

He probably didn't think his ability was remarkable. But Historia did. "Were you born with it?" she had to ask.

Her friend nodded and then continued to walk again. "Wow," she sighed and tagged along. "So, wherever you came from, you were gifted with a power. It's a shame that others see you and automatically call you a monster. A monster wouldn't have powers like _that._ To be frank… I almost want to know where that place is."

He stopped dead in his tracks and glanced at her. "What is it?" she asked. Eren opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, yet changed his mind and began speed-walking again. "Hey! Wait for me!" she cried and went after him.

They continued to walk through the forest for as long as the day went by, and Historia's shoes made her feet sore because of it. But besides all of that… she pointed something out. They miraculously found the dirt path, but it led to a towering stone wall with a seemingly endless tunnel, possibly marking the end of the forest. The tunnel was dark and as they went closer to the wall, Historia could see the bright light coming from the other side. "Should we… go through?" she asked Eren, who was unsure about going through as well. She looked at the tunnel, and then looked at the opposite way which could lead me home.

Historia had an idea. "How about… we go through the tunnel, but only to peek at what's on the other side? Once we do that, we come right back. Okay?" With that, Eren faced the ground and seemed afraid. She was nervous as well, but tried to be strong. She took her friend's hand and told him that she was ready to go.

She took a deep breath. "Just a peek. And then we go home."


	5. Poppies

At the end of the long tunnel, Historia and Eren were met with a steel gate. It was slightly open from its frame, and the large, copper padlock laid on the ground. The two men whom Eren saved Historia from possibly managed to get it open somehow and made their way through the tunnel. Historia touched the steel bars on the gate and pushed them forward. With a loud creak, the gate swung open, giving her the opportunity to walk over the threshold first. And what she saw outside nearly made her heart stop.

Before them was a valley filled with red poppies, topping over the grass. The hills in the distance made the land seem uneven, and they contained both red and orange trees that swayed with the wind. They saw mountains in the far horizon touching the sky as the clouds flew past them. Historia could hardly believe her eyes. She laughed and ran into the field of poppies. "It is beautiful!" she cried. While she happily spun around and picked out some flowers, Eren stood by the gate, unsure of what to do.

It was very windy, so she took a deep breath and stood still for a moment. "So, _this_ is what Frieda was hiding from me." she smiled again and turned to Eren, who still didn't want to leave the gate. "Why do you hesitate? Come on out. This place is heaven."

Her friend faced the ground with a worried expression. He slowly walked towards her and didn't dare to look up. "Don't be that way." she told him. "Go ahead. Look around."

Eren blinked at her and decided to take a glimpse of the valley they were in. She could tell that he was amazed, because he could not stop viewing at the distant hills. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked him. "A whole world right beneath our noses... who would dare to hide this place from anyone?" she paused. Eren watched her lay herself onto the poppies, and she closed her eyes. "I know that I said we could take a peek and go back home… but on second thought, I think I'd like to stay here for a bit longer." Of course, Historia had always lived a peaceful life with her sister and mother. But for whatever reason, laying in a valley of poppies made her feel safer. She felt like she was truly home, safe and sound without a care in the world. All of her worries melted away and sank into the dirt underneath me. This is where she was meant to be, she thought to herself.

Instead of laying with her, Historia heard Eren walk away. She opened her eyes and sat up, wishing that he could just learn how to enjoy the scenery without worrying so much. Then again, those two men he killed proved that the world, although beautiful, was just a façade to cover up the potential evil lurking beneath it. She couldn't blame him; he's probably gone through worse. "Don't go too far now," she spoke, watching the boy go down the hill. He did not hear what she said, so she decided to catch up to him. The hill was a bit steep, but she managed to carefully make her way down without stumbling forward. A gust of wind heavily blew the opposite way from where she was walking, causing both her hair and her dress to wave about. The wind managed to pull some poppies out from the ground and they flew into her direction, so she shielded her face. It was as if some natural force refused to let her go any further.

"Eren?" she called as soon as the wind died down. He was already down the hill, waiting for her next to what looked like a tent. She sped my way down and approached him. "What is it?" she asked. Eren faced the sturdy brown tent that sat on a patch of grass. He thought it was suspicious that a random tent sat in the middle of nowhere, so he began making his way inside of it while clutching his dagger. Historia followed behind him, and once he made sure no one was inside, he allowed her to come in too. "Wow," she cried. There were simply two used sleeping bags laying on the ground, and a wooden box in between them. "This would be a perfect space to rest in. Do you agree?" she smiled and turned to Eren, who only shrugged.

"I wonder who was here before." she thought out loud. She continued to look around, yet the wooden box kept grabbing her attention. Historia crawled over to it and opened the lid with her hands. All that was inside of the box were opened letters, a compass, and a map. Eren came over to her out of curiosity and also saw what was inside. Historia did not want to snoop through someone else's things, but she knew the papers had lots of information on them. So, she reached into the box and pulled out the map. The places on the map were labelled and had drawn lines all over it. "I think this belonged to travelers. Maybe they were looking for a place to live," she told Eren. The lines went from one location on the map to another, and she noticed that they all began at the same place. The lines ended, however, at an unlabeled region on the top left corner of the map. "You see that, Eren? This is where we are right now!" she showed him the repeatedly circled region where the lines stopped and also showed him where they began. That's when the two strange men came into mind. "This must have belonged to those men in the woods," she said to Eren. "If they were resting _here_ … then they must have originally come from this land _here_ , called…" Historia paused and took a closer look at the scribbled handwriting. "It just says, 'The Failed.'"

Eren looked at her with concerned eyes. She put the map down and connected the dots. "'The Failed'… it sounds like the same place Frieda told me to never go to. But only my mother has been there. If those men were originally from The Land of the Failed, then why did they come all the way _here_?" Historia shook my head and quickly searched through the box again. Eren felt uneasy for some reason and stared at her. She took out one of the opened letters and read it out loud: "'To whom it may concern… legend has it that an important treasure resides in either the mountains or the forests. This treasure is said to be the last of its creation, and contains abilities known to wipe out empires if placed in the wrong hands. If it is to be found… return it at once. We must rebuild what has been destroyed…'" After that, the letter continued on and on, so she dropped it and searched for another letter.

"Here's another one," she inhaled and read the letter out loud again. "'If you are reading this, it is too late. The walls have been broken down and the people have been burnt to ashes. We used to be a successful civilization, but now we are nothing. Ever since, we have separated, and everything is in constant chaos. Only one solution remains. The treasure managed to escape with uncertain hands, and has not been seen since. Whoever you are… bring it back to its home. It is our last hope.'" the girl shook her head and became confused. She continued looking at all of the letters that seemed to be a cry for help. Why did those men have the letters in their possession? Perhaps they found it and were trying to gain the reward by going on a quest, or maybe they were thieves who wanted no change to happen. When they found her, they must have thought _she_ was the treasure, because they supposed that she was the most distinctive of them all; another reason why they mentioned that their "king" would be happy. Historia understood then, that they wanted to sell her off. But what was so important about the treasure, other than the fact that it had abilities known to wipe out an entire society?

Something did not feel right. Historia grabbed all of the papers, including the map and the compass, and she crawled her way outside. "We need to find it and go there." Eren immediately followed her and stopped her. "I know you think this is a bad idea," she told him. "But this land needs help. It's probably been in ruins for years, and we've done nothing." she turned and began walking down the hill, when Eren ran in front of her and stopped her. He shook his head.

"But we could help them." Historia smiled. Eren shook his head again and refused to let her go up the hill. "You don't understand," she said. "If we do this, we could save lives. We could help The Land of the Failed change its name to what it once used to be. We could even be rich! How amazing would that be? All my life I've been waiting for a change. And I bet you have been waiting, too."

Eren shook his head again. He started to pace back and forth while running his hands through is long, untidy hair. "What is the matter with you?" she asked, as it was clear that her friend was frustrated. "We could be heroes. We could change the world, as well as explore it. My sister would be so proud if this is successful. I want to prove her wrong." she reassured him that everything would turn out okay and tried to go past him. However, Eren brought her to a halt by grabbing her shoulders. He gripped them tightly and glared into her eyes. He took her by surprise, and she didn't know what to do. "Let me go," she soon demanded. Eren shook his head.

"What has gotten into you?" Historia then asked, calmly.

He just kept looking at her. But his expression suddenly changed the moment his eyes began to fog up. Historia knew he wanted to tell her something; but he just didn't know how. Being all alone and isolated for so many years truly made an impact on his communication skills, as well as his emotions. She watched Eren turn away to wipe his eyes, trying to hide his feelings. "There's no need to be sad." she reassured her friend. "Whatever you're trying to tell me… I get it. What I want to do may be a bad idea." With that, Eren glanced at her and shook his head again.

She just continued. "But I just want you to understand that… if we do this, we can learn more about this strange world we live in and save it. Because, regardless of what my sister says… I believe we can change it."

With a hard shove from Eren's hands, Historia stumbled backwards causing all the papers she carried to fly away with the wind. Eren growled at her under his breath and angrily glared at her. "No!" she yelled, getting up to run after the papers. She ran across the field as fast as she could. She reached her hand out towards a letter flying in the air, but another gust of wind pushed her aside and she tripped on my dress. "Damn it!" she punched the ground. By the time the wind died down again, all the letters and the map were nowhere in sight. She stared at the view of the valley with disappointment. "Why did you do that?!" she suddenly turned to my friend and yelled.

Eren said nothing and started running further down the valley, rather than going back to the woods. Historia unsteadily picked herself up and went after him. "Wait! Where are you going?" she called for him, but he ignored her. He was much faster than she was; chasing after him made her exhausted by the time she made it down the hills. She stopped and took a moment to catch her breath. When she looked up again, Eren was nowhere to be found. She continued to call for him but there was no use in screaming someone's name in the middle of nowhere.

The wind picked up again and poppy petals were ripped from the ground and danced in the air around her. She looked over her shoulder and saw how far the wall in front of the forest was. She wanted to look for Eren; his outburst ruined what could have been a successful idea. Her time of being sheltered on a farm was over, and it was time for her to know the truth about the strange world. Historia would miss Frieda and the time they've spent together… and she knew that Frieda would be worried sick about her, but either way, she'd be safe with mother.

The wind continued to blow towards the wall. Something was telling her to stay. But deep down… something inside of her constantly told her to leave my childhood home, because growing up on the farm had always felt too peaceful.

A big storm was headed their way.


	6. Your Name

Historia had always wondered what it would have been like to have a good relationship with her mother. It was something that she had always been missing, even though her sister was more of a mother than their real one. Long ago, eight-year-old Frieda had just become the head of the household, while Historia was five years behind her. Everything was peaceful at first; she lived as if their home was her little playground by running around and getting into things. Immature and curious of her surroundings, Frieda constantly had to scold Historia for the silly things she did. Her mother, however, would watch the two sisters interact with one another. She would watch her daughters grow before her very eyes without intervening. She'd watch their every move and listen to every conversation. And over time, Historia noticed how miserable she appeared to be. So, one day, she skipped over to her mother and begged her to be picked up. " _Mama,_ " Historia cried, reaching her hands up with a beam on her face.

Historia remembered her mother's face clearly: round cheeks, spotless pale skin, and bright azure eyes. She was an angel in her daughter's eyes; a deity who she vowed to obey and cherish. But her mother, without saying a word, stared at her as if she was someone else's child. She grew disgusted and turned away as if Historia upset her. Nevertheless, she pleaded to be picked up by keeping her hands raised. " _Mama, I love you!_ "

Soon, the mother faced her child, this time with tears in her eyes. " _You don't know,_ " she breathed. Historia frowned and tilted her head in confusion. " _Mama?_ "

" _You don't know… but it's still your fault… you weren't supposed to…_ " Her mother couldn't finish her words and began to sob uncontrollably. Of course, Historia didn't understand what she was trying to say at the time. But she sensed something was bothering her internally. The child ran out of the room and out of the house to the garden where Frieda was planting seeds into the dirt and picked many flowers of different colors and sizes, and eventually went back to the angel that created her. Whilst wiping her tears away, she saw Historia standing there with a wad of flowers. " _Don't cry,_ " the child told her and handed them over. " _Feel better soon!_ "

Her mother carefully took the flowers and stared at them in awe. " _Why are you like this…?_ " She asked, with a weak voice. The child approached her for a hug, when she snapped and demanded to not be touched. The mother startled Historia so much that her feelings were hurt, and she found herself running out of the room to look for her sister.

Frieda talked with her mother, who probably told secrets she was keeping from Historia, to her sister. The child never bothered to intervene anymore because it would only lead nowhere. She thought she would make her creator feel better; she wanted to see her happy. She wanted her mother to communicate and bond with her, just as she did with Frieda. She never felt what it was like to receive a hug or a kiss from the woman that brought her to life. But from that day on, she had decided that it was best to leave her mother be, because she was never going to change.

* * *

The sun was already in the middle of the sky and Historia could not recall the amount of time she searched for her friend. She had walked for so long through the valley that her legs ached with each step she took. The wind continued to blow cool air that made her shiver and wrap her arms around herself to keep warm. She wasn't used to being all alone in such an inhabited place; the farm and the fence her sister built to block the woods was all she knew. But she could not give up searching for Eren. Although they've only been friends for a short time, Historia couldn't bear losing him in a blink of an eye. She wanted to keep the friendship she created between them rather than suffer the loss of it.

She wished that she knew what was on his mind.

"Eren!" Historia called after stopping to catch her breath. The poppy field was long gone from sight. There were pine cones and acorns all over the brown grass, and around her were pine trees here and there, standing so tall it looked as though they touched the sky. She could see the steep hills before her that led to the mountains in the distance. She couldn't remember the direction that led home anymore, and could have sworn that she was going in circles at one point. She was lost.

Just then, her stomach began to growl. I should have eaten the apples Eren gave me earlier, she thought. Historia decided to take her mind off of it by continuing her search. However, the more she walked, the more her hunger grew. She did not know how much longer it would take to find Eren, so ignoring her body only made it worse. So, she stopped and glanced around, attempting to find any fruit trees or bushes close by that was safe to eat. "I should have brought food with me," she sighed, for she was disappointed in herself. Although, it wasn't her fault because her only friend was the one who carried her into the forest after the fight she had with her sister.

A bell sounded… at least, that is what Historia believed to have heard. It was a faint chime trying to scream its way through the wind whistling past her ears. The chimes reminded her of snow falling from the sky. She thought it was quite strange, but perhaps it was someone calling for help. Or, maybe Eren kept that bell she used to find him in the forest and hid it. She was intrigued to follow the chimes, but had to keep her guard up; she refused to let something like the little incident between her and those men happen again. She picked up a fallen branch sitting beside a pine tree and followed the chimes. She focused on the sound and made her way toward its direction.

Eventually, the chimes got louder and louder, and stopped when Historia saw a giant, pink-colored willow tree. The long leaves draped over the ground in layers and reminded her of a fountain. She was in so much awe that she found myself running towards the beautiful tree. She had never seen anything like it; it came out of a storybook and brought itself to life. As soon as she approached the tree, she carefully moved the pink leaves out of the way and peeked inside, only to glance above her while the sun's rays illuminated the space rosy. "Is this even real?" Historia thought happily. She heard a rustle and turned her head towards the tree trunk while gripping the branch in her hands. But there wasn't a thing to be afraid of; in front of the trunk was one single ripe peach hanging from a branch, and she was just an arm's length away. Nobody else was around and she didn't think anything of it at first. "Just one won't hurt…" she whispered, already famished.

Historia pulled the peach off the branch. But before she could take a bite, she spotted a couple of tiny bugs crawling through the cracks of the tree trunk. She blinked and looked at the fruit in her hands that was somehow also covered in bugs. Screaming, Historia dropped the peach and tried to get the rest of the insects off of her arms. She was so fixated on getting the bugs off of her that her body filled with anxiety and she tripped on her dress while trying to escape. The grass she landed on was soaked with a crimson substance and her entire backside was covered in it. The branches above her began dripping the same substance while the leaves decayed one by one. "What is this?!" the teen cried.

The roots of the willow tree somehow arose from the ground on its own and tightly wrapped around her small body, and eventually she couldn't sit up anymore. "Finally," said an eerie voice. Historia widened her eyes when she saw it crawling onto her: a filthy, disfigured humanoid creature with horrifying red irises. "Ripe flesh to feast upon!"

"W-what are you?!" the teen yelled, and feared for her life. Suddenly, she thought of Eren. "What have you done to my friend?!" The thing covered her mouth with its claws to shut her up and opened its mouth, revealing the sharp teeth inside.

Before it could sink its teeth into her face, an arrow engulfed in flames shot through the creature's head, throwing it off Historia's body. The tree roots disintegrated instantly and in just a blink of an eye, the willow tree was back to normal. Historia sat up while trying to catch her breath and glanced at the creature who burned alive.

A hand grabbed her shoulder. "You."

Historia flinched and saw the young woman who must have saved her life. This stranger had freckles all over her tan skin and wore a metallic suit. She reminded Historia of a knight, like the ones she used to read about when she was little. "Who are you…?" she asked.

"I'm nobody." The stranger grabbed Historia's arms and hoisted her onto her feet after putting the weapons away. "Why are you out here by yourself?"

"I was… searching for my friend."

"Out here? In the middle of nowhere?"

"Yes…" Historia nodded. "He ran off. I thought I heard him ringing a bell, so I followed the noise… but I was wrong."

The young woman was cold and stern. "Idiot. Out here are demons. They trick you and cause you to see things. Had I not heard your screams, you'd be dead by now. Do you not know any better?"

"Demons?" the teen tilted her head. "I did not know… I thought they were just stories."

The stranger grabbed her hand again and started walking. "Well, at least you are now aware of the truth. Let's go."

Historia pulled away. "Just where are you planning on taking me?"

"Away from here… unless you want to be another demon's meal."

"I need to find my friend. If there are demons out here like you say there are... then I need to hurry. He needs my help."

The stranger just sighed and folded her arms. "Fine. What does this boy look like?"

Historia imagined Eren's face. "He is strong and very loyal… and he's got these bright golden eyes that-"

"Wait," The freckled stranger stopped me. "Did you say… _golden_ eyes?"

"Um, yes."

She thought for a moment and shook her head. "No. Impossible."

Historia narrowed her eyes as the stranger brought her away from the willow tree. " _Impossible?_ What is that supposed to mean?"

"I was taught that people with yellow irises are ruthless killers."

Historia was confused. "Not Eren. He's good to me. I promise."

"You even named the damn thing," the stranger scoffed. "I cannot help you."

Historia stopped her in her tracks. "You did me a favor by saving my life. The least you can do is return the favor by helping me."

"I do not take favors from children."

"Don't be so full of yourself." Historia became frustrated and turned away from the freckled stranger. She heard the woman snarl under her breath and suddenly glared at her. "Hey, _nobody_ calls me names. I have my reasoning. Besides, I refuse to let an inexperienced child tell me what to do."

"I am _not_ a child!" Historia cried and stomped her foot down. "I may not know where you come from… but because you spared my life, I think I can trust you. So please… I'm begging you… help me find him."

The strange woman studied her from head to toe. She wanted to leave her there to fend for herself and deal with her own issues. But Historia knew the stranger wanted to help… perhaps she was too conceited to admit it. The stranger thought to herself for a while until she scoffed. "Fine. I'll help you find him."

Historia exhaled. "Thank you."

The stranger then noticed something. "You know… you look oddly familiar. Tell me your name."

"Oh… I'm Historia."

With that, the stranger gasped with disbelief. She approached the teen and touched her face. "Could it really be you…?"

"What?" Historia asked.

Out of nowhere, the stranger took her shoulders again. "It _is_ you, isn't it?"

"I… I don't understand."

She just shook her head and started walking. "Never mind that. Come on. We must go."

"What about my friend?" Historia asked again, trying to keep up. The strange female remembered and groaned. "Right. Like I said, I'll help you search for him. But if he tries anything… just know that he'll be stopped before he even blinks."

Historia grew uneasy, but nodded anyway. The woman who saved Historia's life was indeed a stranger, but she was rather interesting. Historia had a feeling that she could be safe around her, despite the woman's outstanding familiarity with her. Whatever the story was behind that… Historia was determined to find out.

"Wait," Historia stopped her again. "At least tell me _your_ name."

She knew it was only fair. "I used to be called Ymir. But… I'm not worthy of that name anymore."

"I like that name. Why would you say such a thing?" Historia wondered. Ymir faced the ground as if she was disappointed in herself and did something immoral in the past that caused her trouble. Historia could see it in her eyes… she was guilty.

"Because… I was too late…"


	7. Friend

"Where do you come from, exactly?" Historia asked Ymir as they headed for Ymir's horse that stood tied up beside a tree.

"A place far away from here." She replied without looking at Historia.

The teen couldn't help herself. "If it is so far away… why come here?"

Ymir approached her horse and untied the rope keeping it from running away. "I had… business to attend to. But you, being the careless fool that you are, interrupted me."

"What kind of business?"

"You ask a lot of questions," Ymir replied and climbed onto the back of the horse. She held out her hand for Historia to take. "Are we going to save your friend or what?"

Historia frowned and climbed up herself without any help. She was surprised that the girl knew how to do so, and she held onto Ymir as she kicked the horse to make it run off. "What I really hope to know," Ymir then said, "Is how _you_ ended up in a place like this."

Historia just watched the ground move below us. "I used to live on a farm that was hidden away behind a forest. I met Eren while exploring it, and found a wall that separated the woods from a huge poppy field. We came across two strange men, but Eren killed them to protect me. And when we came across their tent, we found letters talking about some treasure… and a map. But Eren got upset, so he ran away and ever since I've been trying to search for him."

"Interesting," Ymir stated while focusing on where to go. "That poppy field you speak of… I believe many travelers go there for a specific reason. I hope to visit that place…"

Historia had to ask. "Do you know anything about a place called The Failed? And a treasure that they are searching for?"

Ymir scoffed and shook her head. "Ah, yes. The Failed. A place that has tyranny running through its veins. I'm surprised you know nothing of it. As for a treasure… its more of a legend, to be frank. Nobody knows what it is or where it could be. People of different statuses search for _anything_ that might be of value with the mindset that it'll make them rich or turn the land back to what it used to be… that includes pretty little girls like you."

The teen felt disgusted. "I see."

"Yup. So those men you mentioned before were undoubtedly sick fucks who believed you were their last hope."

"They also mentioned a king," Historia remembered. "When you speak of tyranny… are you referring to one?"

"Kings do not exist in that hell. That ruler is the Devil in disguise." Ymir replied.

"Well… from the way I see it, I bet you used to be one of his knights. But you escaped when bad things started to happen."

Ymir scoffed. "You know nothing about me."

Historia chuckled. "Yes. But somehow, you're familiar with me… and because of it, I feel like I should be familiar with you."

Ymir unexpectedly slowed her horse after recalling something and Historia nearly fell to the ground. When they stopped completely in an area full of bushy pine trees, Ymir quickly hopped onto the grass.

"What's the matter?" the teen asked, hoping that she did not irritate her.

Ymir took a moment of silence and faced the ground. Clenching her fists shut, she thought to herself while trying to retain her emotions as if something HIstoria said triggered a part of her. The teen carefully hopped off the horse yet kept her distance. "Ymir?" The freckled woman turned around, came up to Historia and grabbed her collar, pulling close to her face. "Listen to me," she spoke in a sharp voice. "Listen to me closely. You and I are strangers. We have no relation towards one another. You… you just have similar eyes as someone I once knew. But that does _not_ mean you and I are friends. Got it?"

Historia frowned and swallowed hard. If that was the case, why Ymir save her life? Ymir was already irritated, though; Historia didn't want to make things worse. "Okay..."

Ymir released her and turned away. "And do me a favor and stop calling me Ymir. That isn't my name anymore."

"What should I call you?"

"Never mind that."

"You shouldn't have mentioned your old name, then." Historia scowled.

"Yeah, I shouldn't have." Just as Ymir was about to climb back up her horse's saddle, she noticed how the sky was as grey as chimney smoke. The world around them became dark and the heaving sky looked fit to collapse down on top of them. All of a sudden, there was an explosion of thunder above the clouds and Historia feared for her safety. The black clouds, pregnant with malice, churned and roiled. They were misty and were as fleecy as black wool. "Looks like it's going to pour," Ymir stated, gazing at the sky.

"How strange." the teen thought. It was a beautiful autumn day just moments ago. The wind started to pick up, signaling the incoming army of raindrops.

The freckled woman dressed like a knight took Historia's hand. "Come on. We need to find shelter."

"What about Eren?"

"We'll continue looking for him after the storm passes."

"He will be in danger!"

"If he has been able to fend for himself all this time, then I'm positive he'll survive one storm." She brought the teen to her horse, but Historia refused to climb on it. She was scared for her friend; he could be out there somewhere, all alone and afraid. Demons probably went in his way and he may have gotten into trouble. She couldn't just stand around and wait. Historia pulled her hand away from Ymir and ran in the direction they were originally headed. Ymir cursed out loud and called for Historia leaving her horse behind as she sprinted after her.

It was definitely an unwise action, but what else could Historia do? If Ymir emphasized the fact that they were strangers, why should Historia trust that she would keep her safe from the storm? Why should she trust her promises to help find Eren? She had enough of being told what to do. As she ran, Historia felt tiny rain drops sprinkle on to her forehead while the wind blew her hair backwards. The further she ran, the deeper into the forest of pine trees she became. The vertical trees stretched up to the murky sky and her feet crushed acorns and fallen branches. She heard Ymir continuously calling for her in the distance, but the teen did not look back. Instead, she used her own voice to call for her friend. "Eren! Where are you? It's me, Historia! Please come back to me!"

A clap of thunder filled her ears and the precipitation fell heavily to the ground… yet she did not feel one drop. She was surrounded by rainfall, but some force prevented her from getting soaked. "Eren?" she called again, believing the occurrence was his doing. Then, she gasped and ducked her head, for a brilliant shock of white in the graphite sky forked silently to the unsuspecting tree beside her, the thunder always calling its warning too late. When she stood up, she noticed the figure of a person ahead. She took a few cautious steps forward, the unknown force still refusing to let her get wet, to see who the person might be.

Fluttering her eyelids to take a better look at who the figure might belong to, Historia gasped with both shock and delight when she realized who she was looking at. "Eren," she breathed, her eyes growing heavy with joyful tears. There he stood before her, soaked by the rain and no noticeable injuries. Her body was filled with so much contentment and liberation that it blocked out all of the negative memories, and she found herself greeting him with a tight embrace. "There you are!" she cried. "I thought I lost you forever to demons!"

As usual, Eren said nothing, yet remained emotionless. Historia then observed his golden eyes and noticed how they did not glimmer. "What's wrong?" she asked him, concerned. "Are you not happy to see me again? Perhaps you're still upset… but I forgive you."

Her lungs became paralyzed without warning as a thick blade shanked into her abdomen. She grabbed Eren's shoulders while all the nerves inside her body silently screamed in agony. He heartlessly glared into her pupils as her legs grew weary and he forcibly pulled the blade right out. She dropped to her knees and touched the wound. Her hands were covered in her own blood. The unknown force protecting her from the storm was no longer there and the cold rain poured onto her head. "Why…?" she looked up at her friend, who did not show any remorse.

"No!" A woman screamed. Historia fell sideways into the mud, only to witness Ymir running toward Eren. She tackled him and began to beat him with her bare hands, cursing heavily. She must have been so angry that she lost control of her own limbs. Eventually, Historia heard inhuman screams and saw something dark fly out from Eren's mouth as her vision grew blurry. She was wrong, she thought to herself. She struggled to breathe as she wrapped her arms around her abdomen to keep the blood from seeping, but the throbbing pain was too much for her to bear. Her ears rang a shrill tone and the girl shivered as if she had been laying in a pile of snow for hours. Once Ymir was done with the boy who stabbed Historia, she crawled over to her body and shook her to keep her awake. Historia saw Ymir's face, but through a tunnel, and the words escaping her mouth sounded like they were underwater. Historia's heart felt betrayed yet something still told her to have hope. She did not want to die, but she knew she was near it's door, so she accepted it.

 _"Stay."_

Historia opened her eyes and gasped for air. She sat herself up immediately as if something possessed her body, and felt her abdomen. She was drenched and covered in mud, but the rainstorm slowly came to a halt. Her wound was gone completely and there was only blood stained around the hole in her dress where the blade pierced through. Then, she noticed Ymir sitting beside her, staring with disbelief. "W-what is it?!" she questioned the woman, feeling uneasy.

"You're healed…" Ymir whispered. She had seen everything. "You are alive… as if nothing happened. How is that possible…?"

Historia shook her head. She could not understand it herself. One moment, she was bleeding to death… the next thing she knew, she was back to normal. She wasn't sure if she should have been grateful or worried. "I… I don't know." I replied.

Ymir tried to make sense of it all. "You must be… no, you couldn't…"

"I..."

"We need to go." She stood up and helped Historia get up. The teen soon noticed the unconscious body on the ground and blinked. "Eren…"

"So… this is your friend?" Ymir asked. She glanced over at him and sighed. "Well… it turns out he was possessed by another demon. It left his body after I attacked him, and he's been out cold since. You should have never run away from me, Historia. Be grateful that I did not kill him."

Historia nodded, and knelt over to her friend. What he did to her was not his fault. "I understand. I'm sorry." Although ashamed of herself, she just focused on being there for him. She moved his hair out of the way to see his face better, and saw the little cuts and bruises on his skin. He did have some of her blood on his hands, while his weapon sat far away from him in the grass. He was in trouble after all, she thought. she wanted to see his golden eyes again, so she could let him know that he was finally in safe hands. "Please wake up," Historia whispered unhappily, still shivering from the cold, drizzling rain.

"I'll take him with us," Ymir finally decided, giving her a pitying look. "But if he wakes up and tries to attack us… there will be consequences. Remember that."

"Alright…" Historia stood up and did not keep her eyes off of Eren. Ymir picked him up and used every bit of her strength to carry him over her shoulder, and they all began to head back to her horse. Historia did not know where Ymir was going to bring them, but hopefully it was a safe place where she could both find answers and help Eren heal from the danger he went through all by himself.


	8. Stand By Me

To Historia's surprise, it was a community.

A large, shabby village in a vast grassland beyond the forest of pine trees; it had taken them the rest of the day to finally reach it, for the sun had disappeared from the sky by the time they arrived there. The houses were made or cobblestone and wood, and she could see candle lights illuminating through the windows. A large inn sat in the middle of the community and attached to it was a tavern. She noticed how everyone who lived there were women; some of them ran up to Ymir with happy faces and greeted her. The village must have been her home… but when Historia saw Ymir's eyes, she didn't return the kindness.

Once they arrived at the inn, Ymir told her to wait there and went inside as Historia carefully brought her unconscious friend off the horse. Yet it did not take long for someone else to come back out with Ymir. The freckled woman suddenly introduced me to the other woman with shoulder length hair, who was the owner of the entire inn. Historia squinted to get a better look at her and said nothing as she observed the teen from head to toe, as well as the boy who she tried to carry beside her. Historia wasn't sure if she could trust her… but it wasn't until she began to pity them. "Oh, my goodness, you poor thing… you look like you've been through the worst!" The other woman cried.

"C-can you help my friend…?" Historia asked, not caring about her own well-being. "Please?"

"A boy," The lady gasped, astonished. It was as if she had never seen a male before. "Why I haven't seen one in ages…"

"I found her all alone and saved her from a demon. She was in search for the boy, so I helped her. Yet, we found him lying in the woods, just like that." Ymir added, referring to Eren. She was hiding some things to herself to keep them safe.

"Is that so?" The woman faced Historia again. "I am so sorry that happened to you. But you do not need to fear any longer. And forgive me for being rude… I am Petra. I own this inn… although it is nothing much, we try to make it worthwhile. Please, do come in! We'll take good care of you."

Petra helped bring Eren inside while Ymir followed behind them and left the horse by itself outside. Petra called for two other women dressed as maids, and they ran toward them. Historia would have never thought she'd ever see real maids; she had only read about them when she used to live on the farm. "Please take the boy," the lady told them. "He needs immediate attention!" Historia did not expect her to do that, so when the two maids took Eren and began to bring him somewhere, she refused to leave his side… because if he were to wake up, he would try to hurt them. And she remembered how Ymir was worried about him being golden-eyed. If the maids were to see them, would they be just as upset?

"He needs me," she cried, but Petra refused to let her follow. "Do not worry, child. They'll take care of him."

"You can trust them." Ymir added, leaning on the wall. "He'll be fine."

Historia tried to calm down. "Alright…"

"May I ask what your name is?" Petra wondered.

"Historia…"

"Such a pretty name for such a pretty girl." Petra smiled again and went to touch the girl's cheek out of kindness. She flinched.

"She's still a bit wary of new people." Ymir mentioned to Petra as she came over and took Historia's shoulder. "This girl knows nothing about our world. As naïve is she is… she needs someone to guide her."

Petra nodded, understanding. "I see. Perhaps the younger generation is a bit uninformed… but even that is forgivable."

Historia was still confused about how they were related to one another. "I'm sorry… how did you guys meet?"

Petra smiled at her. "Ymir has been aiding this village for years. Long ago, she came from some other nation and decided to remain loyal to us. Without her, we'd be vulnerable to outside threats."

The teen understood and turned to Ymir, who seemingly did not care about anything, and then faced the floor. "That must be why she brought me here…"

Petra chuckled. "The last time we saw each other was a month ago, and that is due to one of her missions… although, she never does speak in detail as to what they are."

"I'm aware of that." Historia replied without looking up. She heard the two maids run down the stairs leading to the lobby, and they bowed to Petra after mentioning that they let Eren sleep in one of the rooms. "Thank you," Petra told them. She then remembered something and looked at Historia before letting the maids leave. "Oh, and one more thing… would you care to give Historia a bath and a change of clothes to make her feel at home? The poor girl seems to have been through some horrible tragedies."

The teen widened her eyes and backed into Ymir by mistake. The only person who ever gave her one of those in her life was Frieda when she was little. "N-no, there's no need!"

Petra giggled at her. "Please don't be shy. We mean no harm. Allow us to help… it is the least we can do."

Historia did not know how to answer. She was always taught that her body should only be seen by the one who raised her. To show off her body was considered disrespectful… at least, that's what Frieda told her. Ymir rolled her eyes and patted Historia on the head, catching her off guard. "They won't hurt you, kid. This is what they do. Have you ever heard of the word, 'courtesy?'"

She was right… after all, they were being polite for a stranger they just met. Historia glanced at the two maids who waited for her to go with them. She just sighed… she only wanted to care for Eren, not herself. She wanted to be there until he woke up.

But then again, if it made Petra happy… she had to let the maids take her.

The two cheerful ladies held her hands and brought her to a room with a wooden bathtub inside, that was already filled with fresh warm water. Historia hesitantly approached it and dipped her hand into it. "Your dress," one of the maids said, holding out her hand. The teen blinked, and then realized what the maid was asking for. So, she faced her back toward them and carefully took off her filthy dress that was splattered in both mud and blood from where she was stabbed. While the maid took her dress and left the room, she covered herself with her arms and immersed her naked body into the water without help. "I can do the rest," Historia reassured the second maid who was preparing the things to bathe her with. But she insisted. "Do not worry, child. You are safe now." She smiled and softly scrubbed Historia's back with a wet rag. She just squeezed her eyes shut and hugged my knees. It felt odd having a stranger wash her… but she had to remind herself that they would not do any maltreatment.

Eventually, the maid moved the teen's hair to the side to scrub the back of her neck, when she suddenly paused. "What's wrong?" Historia asked, turning to her.

She blinked and soon shook her head. "Oh, nothing!" The maid just continued what she was doing like nothing happened. She was lying… but what for?

As soon as the maid was finished bathing her, Historia was finally given a room to sleep in for the night. The other maid who had taken her dress gave her a new one to wear, although it was a tad large; the sleeves were longer than her arms. But, she was thankful. The bedroom they introduced Historia to was a decent size for a single person. A bed sat alongside the wall near a window that let the light of the stars reach in. The maids told her to make herself comfortable… but as tired as she was, she did not want to be alone. "Which room is my friend in…?" she asked them before they could leave.

"Well," One of them began, unsure. "He is actually right next door. We made sure of this… but you should remain here and rest, child."

Historia was tired of being treated like a child. However, she had an idea… so she decided to obey them. "Alright. I will stay. Goodnight." she went to her bed and covered herself in blankets.

The maids looked at each other, surprised that Historia obeyed them quickly, and eventually left the room. She waited for a while until she heard nothing but complete silence. She hopped off the bed to blow out the candles on the night table and tiptoed out of the room. She made sure no one was walking by, and soon made her way into Eren's room. There he was, lying near the window in a deep sleep caused by a demonic entity. She approached him and sat in the wooden chair beside his bed and watched his chest rise and fall. The maids had given him a clean shirt and put a cool, damp rag on his forehead. There was a draft coming from the open window; loneliness is a dark place. What was she to do? Watching him suffer in oblivion was like walking on a path without any directions, without any idea when it will end. Not knowing when he would wake up was torture… because _he_ was the one suffering, alone. "Eren," Historia spoke, her voice cracking with angst. "I should have listened to you… I made you upset. And now you're in this condition." she shook her head. He remained motionless as a doll… only, he was very much alive. "I'm so happy to have found you…" she continued and smiled. "So, I just want you to know that… I forgive you. When you stabbed me, I had died… but something told me to live again. Tell me… was it you?"

Historia waited for a response, but she realized that an answer would be impossible. "Ah, look what I've done." she wiped the incoming tears from her eyes. "I did this to you. You protected me from danger, but… I couldn't return the favor. I am so sorry." she closed her eyes and took his hand so that he could feel her touch from within his dreams. "That is why…" the girl began. "That is why… I promise to never leave your side no matter what. I hope you can hear me, Eren. Please… please wake up." she lowered her head and silently let the tears fall onto his hand.

However, when Historia opened her eyes again, she gasped after witnessing Eren move his fingers. She quickly took his hand and called for him in a soft tone. For some reason, however, there were tears beneath his eyelids and they rolled downwards until he slowly revealed his irises. He looked around and noticed Historia sitting close by and she beamed as her body filled with relief. It was as if someone heard her prayers. "Eren! You're awake! I thought I lost you forever... you're crying."

Eren sat himself up and wiped his eyes, probably not understanding why he cried in his sleep. He turned to her and carefully touched her cheek to see if she was real. "Yes, it's me, Historia." she confirmed, nearly about to cry. She had so much to say to him.

After innocently staring into her eyes for a while, Eren suddenly began searching for something in the sheets.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

He stopped and grew worried. He soon opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, and to her surprise, he used his voice; a sound that was deep yet brittle. "My… gift…" Eren covered his face with his hands, frustrated. Historia wanted to comfort him, but she was so shocked at the fact that he used his voice for the first time that she couldn't move. Her stomach felt like it had fallen to the ground. He actually spoke to her. But how? She knew he was illiterate… but did he hide his ability to speak?

Historia touched Eren's shoulder. "You… can talk… oh, please don't be upset."

"My gift…" He glanced at her. She did not know what he was talking about, but she could not stand to see him that way, so she gave him a tight hug. "Whatever it is you're looking for, we will find it, okay? I'm just grateful that you're alright."

With that, Eren nodded. He was going to be okay.


	9. Oddball

When Historia died, she did have a vision. But she just chose not to speak of it.

The vision was brief… yet somehow, she remembered all of it. As if she had never left home, she awoke in what felt like her sister's arms. They were in an infinite field of tall grass, and she leaned on the trunk of a single tree while Historia rested on her lap. Her sister caressed her forehead and the teen saw her contented face beneath the leaves whilst humming a song.

 _"Hey there, sleepyhead."_

Historia sat up to see her face… Frieda was not the one holding her. It was her own mother. _"What happened?"_

 _"Don't worry,"_ her mother took her hand. _"You are safe now."_

 _"I am?"_ Historia asked. In just a mere moment, she became overwhelmed with a sensation of comfort and ease; the aura of her mother was too strong for her to handle. _"Where are we?"_

The young mother giggled and quickly picked herself up. She walked into the field as the wind blew her hair back, and she raised her arms. _"Home."_

Historia got up and stood by her. She had a smile on her face that Historia had never seen before; a smile so heavenly and genuine, in a state of overpowering bliss. " _Is this real?_ " she wondered.

This woman was not her mother. In an instant, the mother turned to her with a serious face. _"How could you say such a thing, Frieda?"_

The girl's stomach fell to the floor as she backed away. The ground began to rumble beneath her feet and pulled her down below. She fell into a seemingly endless void and listened to the screams of people whom she never met in her entire life. Scenes of violence and death flashed before her eyes; people being flayed alive and being tossed into fires while crying bloody tears. Buildings collapsed as children and adolescents were trapped in mass numbers, pulling them into mobile cages to be taken to a place where they'll never be seen again. It wasn't until she landed in a room full of mirrors and picked herself up to look at the reflections. With each step she took, the reflections of her sister copied right along with her, and each one of them were infinitely lined up. She approached one of her reflections and touched it. It was not her; it was Frieda. And when her hand met the glass, the false image came out and grabbed her. " _Historia,"_ she began. _"I'm so worried… please stay alive. Please stay."_

* * *

Historia nearly tired herself out while revealing all to her friend of what happened during the time he was gone. She explained in full detail from when she met Ymir, the one who saved her from a vicious demon, to the very moment her soul returned to her body. Eren listened to her soothing voice, and with every word she spoke, he grew remorseful about what he had done despite having no control over it. Historia knew it was unintentional and reminded him of her forgiveness by showing. "Can I ask you something?" she soon wondered, after a long pause that made them both uncomfortable. "Do you remember how you became possessed?"

Eren thought about it for a moment and shook his head without saying a word.

"Are you sure…? You can't think of anything?"

The boy said nothing again, and this time, Historia grinned. "I thought you could speak," she joked. He remembered and looked away. Historia leaned in close and waited for him to answer. He couldn't just ignore her and act as if he had no voice; the truth had already come out, and he could not go back. "I… always have," he eventually whispered.

Historia was still amazed by his deep voice. "Is that so…? But why? Why hide it all this time?"

Eren shrugged and hugged his knees. He did not want to tell her. "I trust you."

"Well," Historia replied, appreciating the amount of faith he had for her. "I'm just glad that we can finally talk together."

"I don't remember… how my body was taken," Eren suddenly faced her. "I just remember running away."

"Was it the first time it happened to you?" Historia had to ask.

Eren didn't know how to answer. "Yes… they take the ones who are weak. And I was weak, then."

"You weren't weak. You were just upset," Historia reassured her friend. "Although, I could not fathom why…"

"You say you died. And that you came back. How?" Eren changed the subject.

"I'm not sure, really." Historia said. "All I can remember is a strange vision… and a voice telling me to stay. And then I woke up again, healed as if I was never wounded."

Eren cringed, just listening to her. "We should have stayed."

"Is that why you got upset when I showed you that map? Because you knew there would be some kind of evil?"

"I was afraid."

"Afraid…?"

Eren looked away again. "You would not understand."

"You can tell me anything." Historia smiled again, in hopes that her friend would ease up a bit. Eren suddenly moved the blankets out of the way and stood up to go to the window. Historia wondered what was on his mind; although she trained herself to read his actions, his mind was an entirely new language she struggled to comprehend. Eren touched the glass on the window and watched the twinkling stars in the sky. "Where are we?" he murmured.

Without warning, the door to the room had swung open, surprising them both. It was Petra who peeked inside with a smile on her face. "Oh, you're both awake and well, I see!" The woman stepped right in with her hands behind her back. Eren glared at the her with suspicion, and Historia immediately jumped up in front of him. "Don't worry. She's a friend. Her name is Petra," she informed him.

Petra giggled and carefully approached Eren to observe him. "Wow… I have not seen an adolescent boy like you in years! And my, what yellow eyes you have…" The boy blinked and moved away from her. He trusted that the young woman wouldn't harm him after what Historia had said, so he tried to relax; but little did he know, that Petra held a weapon behind her back.

Historia looked around and realized that someone was missing. "Where did Ymir go?"

She caught Petra's attention. "Oh… Ymir went to the tavern beside us. I asked if she wanted to come along to check on you both, but… she demanded some space."

"Is that so…?" Historia replied.

Petra nodded. "It is not uncommon to catch her hanging there."

"We should go there! I want her to meet Eren." The teen girl referred to her friend and waited for Petra to show them the way. After some hesitation, Petra allowed it and brought them from the room, down the stairs, and out of the building. Once they arrived at the small tavern beside the inn, Petra held the doors open for the two adolescents. Inside were groups of women, sitting together and chatting merrily at the wooden bar. Some of them huddled around a table cheering as two women competed in an arm wrestling match. Others just sat and ate casually by themselves while waitresses dressed in gowns that lifted their cleavage served them things to drink. Hearing the door close, some of the women glanced over to see who had come in out of curiosity and stared at them: especially Eren. Historia nearly coughed from the smoke hovering in the air. She had never witnessed such an atmospheric place that contained so many personalities. "So… this is a tavern?" Historia asked.

"Yes, it is," Petra heard her. "We usually do not allow youngsters inside, but I suppose you two are an exception."

Historia thought of the time she read a story that took place in a tavern. "It's just how I pictured it would be."

Eren grew uneasy with everyone staring at him, so he silently hid behind her… until he felt his stomach growl.

"You two must be hungry!" Petra sensed it and brought them both to an empty table to sit in. "Just sit and wait here, we'll get you something to eat."

"But what about Ymir?" Historia asked, despite being also very hungry.

"I will look for her. But for now, you two wait here." Petra smiled and went off to find a waitress. The two friends faced each other, and soon noticed the number of women staring at them nearby. Some of them even gossiped to each other with concerned faces, as if what they were looking at was unorthodox to their community. Eren shrank into his seat and didn't know what to do with himself. He knew he didn't belong. Historia detected his embarrassment and tried to comfort him as much as possible, even though there was no way they could ignore them.

Historia felt a hand placed on her head and looked up to see the freckled woman who saved her life. "There you are," Ymir said before sitting down. "You look a lot cleaner than before."

"I was looking for you." Historia replied.

"Yeah, Petra told me." Ymir noticed the other women staring at the two adolescents and gave them a threatening scowl to make them back off.

To make things less awkward, Historia cleared her throat. "Now that you're here, I want you to finally meet my friend, Eren." Ymir turned around again and studied the boy sitting across from her. "Hm. So you're the one causing all this unwanted attention, I see. You're lucky that I let you live."

"What's that supposed to mean? It's because he's the opposite of us, isn't it?" Historia defended her friend, who grew annoyed.

"You truly are ignorant, aren't you?"

"There's no need to be rude…"

Ymir chuckled. "Look. I am not here to tell stories of the past. I am here because Petra said you needed me. And here I am, wasting valuable time. So, tell me Historia, what is it that you need?"

Historia blinked and tried to come up with words to say. "I just… I never thanked you for saving me and helping me find Eren."

"Oh, there's no need for that. I just took you out of an idiotic situation."

"I mean it," Historia said. She and Eren looked into Ymir's eyes; they were sincere, yet Ymir didn't know how to react. Perhaps it was the amount of alcohol in her system that prevented her from reaching her true sentimental feelings. "I see," Ymir lowered her voice with a frown.

The tension hovering over their table was soon swept away when Petra had finally returned to them alongside a waitress. "Dinner is here!" Petra cried cheerfully and allowed the waitress to serve each of the two friends a plate of roasted meat and two slices of bread. "I do hope you enjoy it. It's been a long day, after all." Petra said again.

Historia was impressed by Petra's kindness and couldn't keep her eyes away from her food. And in an instant, Historia was reminded of her sister; the one who would always make sure she was well-fed and happy. Historia was grateful yet didn't want to accept it because she knew it would mean betraying her sister. But then again, her stomach continuously rumbled, so there was no point in denying their generosity. "Thank you," she told Petra and the waitress, and began to eat.

Eren, on the other hand, had already begun munching on his food. He quietly took big bites without thinking about using any manners, using his hands to shove the food into his mouth one bite after another while making a mess out of himself as an animal would. Although glad to have been fed, he was more concerned about satisfying his hunger than thanking them. Petra and Ymir both watched him in disgust; comparing his habits to Historia, they could see how the two teens were different. "He's got… quite an appetite, doesn't he?" Petra chuckled uneasily.

Historia saw her friend and grew embarrassed for him. "I admit… he still has a lot to learn."

"Do my eyes deceive me?" a grating, feminine voice caught Ymir's attention. She glanced over her shoulder to see another woman walk to the table, carrying an arrogant attitude on her shoulders. The woman unsteadily approached the table and studied the two juveniles who were trying to peacefully have a meal. "Wow, I was right! You brought yet another underprivileged, parentless child on the brink of starvation and gave it _our_ resources? You truly are a soft one, Ymir."

Historia stopped eating and glanced at the intoxicated woman, a bit offended. Ymir rolled her eyes, unfazed by the remark. "You're one to talk."

"And what do we have here?" The woman pointed at Eren, who paused for a moment to see what was happening. "A devil with yellow eyes… feasting carelessly like a pig. How typical."

Eren frowned and put his hands under the table. Ymir sighed heavily and tried to keep calm. Historia grew uncomfortable and did not like where this was headed. It was clear that Ymir had previous encounters with the woman; none of which were positive. "He isn't doing anything. And even if he did, he would be dead by the time he lifted a finger. So kindly fuck off." Ymir demanded.

"Hey, I'm being truthful! You'd rather be a hypocrite and sacrifice your life for worthless little shits rather than putting in work like we all have to do."

"Oh _please_ ," Ymir scoffed and got up from her seat to face the person who was belittling her. "What work have you put in, other than getting aroused by your own hands all night long?"

The woman angrily shoved Ymir with great force, causing her to stumble onto the table. Historia and Eren jumped in surprise and stood up to their feet as quickly as possible while the plates of leftover food crashed onto the floor. Everyone else in the tavern silenced, watching the scene unfold. Petra shielded the young teens with her arm. "This isn't a good time," she cried. "Take it outside!"

"You have a lot of nerve." The woman ignored Petra and shook her head as Ymir fixed herself up. "How dare you bring in a monster and waste our hard-earned labor?! How dare you?! And here I thought you were a knight. Look at you! You finally converted into the scum you admire so much! I'm so proud!" She mocked Ymir and clapped her hands. Historia wanted to step in and help the freckled lady who saved her life as a returning favor yet was afraid of getting into a bad situation. Her body told her to spring into action, but her mind told her to keep away.

For Eren, that wasn't the case.

"Stop," Eren said. He had walked behind the woman without Historia noticing.

The arrogant woman spun around to see him there. "Oh, what's wrong? Sad that I hurt your friend?"

"Stop it," he repeated himself and grabbed her. Historia saw that he couldn't look at the woman in the eyes because if he did, he would attack her the same way he did with Frieda. Historia shook her head and told Eren to come back to her, yet he refused to listen.

"Don't fucking touch me!" The woman pulled away and smacked his face so hard that he stumbled.

"Just stop!" Eren contained himself although it was so very hard, and suddenly ran out of the tavern, upset. Historia immediately called for him as the woman laughed. "Look at that! What a coward." she said.

"I don't have time for this. If he won't kill you, then I will." Ymir said, and smashed a fist into the side of her rival's skull.

Historia ran out of the tavern in search for Eren, and Petra followed for her safety as the fight rang about inside. "Wait for me!" she called.

Historia was in a slight panic, but luckily, he did not get too far. Across from the tavern sat Eren, hugging his legs in a space between two wooden houses. She ran over and came to his level, and noticed that he was holding back tears. "Do not run off like that! It's over now. I'm fine, see?"

Petra watched as Historia comforted him, and soon felt differently about a certain feeling in her heart. "You two… really are close, huh?" she asked.

Historia stood up to give Eren some space and glanced at the young lady. "Of course."

Petra glanced at the boy for a moment and started to pity him. "I was wrong."

"About what?"

"About your friend… that boy is gentler than the ones we are used to."

Historia tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Petra sighed and looked up. "We were forced to fend for ourselves due to an army of men who turned against us. They took away our husbands, our fathers, and our sons. We made this community so that these women could seek salvation and peace… but the hate still lingers on in most of their hearts."

"Oh," Historia felt horrible. "I'm sorry that Eren brought you painful memories… but he didn't mean it. Not him, at least. He doesn't realize how strong he is… but I believe that he knows what is right and what is wrong."

"Yes," Petra glanced at Eren again, who thought to himself. "He's truly a gifted child. He just doesn't know what it means to be one. From what I was taught… humans with yellow eyes were considered spawns of the devil, and they were always hunted down. I do not know how many beings like him are left, but… it's obvious that he's alone, stuck in the middle of a very confusing world."

Historia nodded, glad to have been given information. It helped her have a better understanding the actions of the women in the tavern, as well as what the world was like. "I see. didn't know any of that."

"You are quite sheltered, aren't you?" Petra giggled.

"I suppose… my sister hid things from me. I never understood why."

"Perhaps it is for your protection."

"That's what my sister said…" Historia recalled her sister's words.

Petra thought for a moment and soon had an idea. "Why don't you make this place your new home for now? I'm not sure what you went through, but... it's clear that you two have nowhere else to go. After all, we do need a few more hands to prepare for winter."

"Really?" Historia asked, her eyes suddenly sparkling. Although there were some villagers who had different opinions about newcomers, she knew that she'd be safe there. "Of course we would... thank you!"

Petra shook her head with a smile. "Its no problem. Anyway, I need to handle this. I'll be back." She nervously went back to the tavern to attempt at stopping the fight inside and Historia watched her go. She soon heard her friend whispering to himself and went back to his level. "I can hear you," she joked. "Good news! We can stay here now, safe and sound."

Eren ignored what she said and asked her something in a hushed tone. "Hey... what am I to you?"

Historia blinked, but she already knew the answer. "You're my friend, of course!"

He just stared at her. That's not what he wanted to hear.


	10. Liar

Five days had passed, and Historia vowed to make herself useful. She and Eren lived in the inn and would go out each morning to help the villagers prepare for winter: picking out fruits and vegetables from the gardens, running small errands, and helping with the farm animals. She didn't have to do any of it, for she was a new visitor, but she knew it was her duty. Although they were still wary about them, some of the other women in the village slowly began to respect the two teens. Upon seeing Historia's face, they'd smile and reward her for such a great effort. Eren, however, constantly shied away from them whenever he was being praised and declined any gifts. No matter how many of the younger women came around to greet him, he would just silently push them away. Historia did teach him how to socialize around others and how to do certain tasks, but he refused to let his guard down. When it came to the preparation of winter, he just did what Historia asked and spoke only when spoken to. After all, he was already used to it.

"Hey Eren," Historia called, after harvesting some crops from the gardens with him and putting them in wooden boxes. She stood up and picked one of them up to put it in a wagon and realized that she needed assistance with the other boxes. "Can you take those and put it in the wagon, please?"

Eren blinked and saw the rest of the boxes filled with vegetables. "Oh… of course." He picked himself up and took a box.

"Thank you." Historia said. "We're almost done… just a few more cases."

"I see," Eren nodded. He thought about something before reaching for another box and watched the other women in the distance who had been picking through the gardens. He noticed how some of them worked as a team, and how some of them joked around together. It annoyed him, watching them laugh.

Historia realized that her friend wasn't helping and paused. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Do you give up?"

"Why do you help them?" he softly questioned. The girl set the box down on the grass and stared at it. She knew what to say but didn't know how. Helping others was all she knew; being raised on a farm her whole life taught her to be compassionate and helpful. But for what?

"I don't know, really," Historia shrugged. "I suppose it's to return the favor. They allowed us to live here, after all. I'm just used to it."

"Aren't you afraid?" Eren turned to her.

"Afraid of what?"

"The ones who don't want us here."

Historia sighed. "Well… I doubt anyone would want to hurt us. They've been so kind… we earned their respect."

Eren folded his arms and glanced back at the women in the distance. "Looks can be deceiving."

"I agree with you, but-"

"One moment, they'll see you as saints… they'll praise you, ruffle your hair and tell you how much you mean to them. And soon, once they've had their fix, they'll drag you by your feet and listen to your cries of mercy as they shit on your potential."

Historia blinked, surprised by his sudden, dark use of language. "You cannot be serious…"

"Like I said before. You would not understand." Eren soon picked up the wooden box and placed it in the wagon like he was supposed to. Before he could pick up another one, Historia took his hand. "Then why did you ask that angry woman in the tavern to stop?"

Eren fell silent.

"You believed she could change, didn't you?"

"I wanted to protect you."

" _And_ Ymir?"

"Maybe."

"You're a terrible liar," Historia grinned, noticing that his ears were turning red. "You wanted that woman to stop because you wanted to see her change. The same way when I came across those two men in the woods. The same way I came across _you_. Remember?"

Eren pulled away and walked into the garden to sit down in. He couldn't be annoyed with her. "Perhaps… you are right. To an extent."

"Then tell me," Historia came over and sat beside him. "What do I not understand?"

"That woman…" Eren sighed again, after a long pause. "She reminded me of a time when… I witnessed an old friend being harassed by a person of higher status. That person used to be gentle and kind… but my friend made a mistake. They had to pay the price… but I knew they did nothing wrong. I assumed that the person of higher status would have an open mind, but I was wrong. He made it very clear. You might believe people can change, but most of them do not."

Historia nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I am aware of that, Eren. My sister would have said the same thing. I may be learning still… but you cannot just assume people's intentions. Besides, look around. These people are allowing us to stay here. They are genuine. As peaceful as it is here, I doubt we'll find trouble. And yes… there was the situation in the tavern. But how many of these villagers act the same way?"

"Perhaps I said too much."

"As long as we're here… I have faith that no harm will come to us again. I know it."

Eren wasn't convinced but he nodded anyway and trusted her words. Her optimism concerned him deeply, yet he knew that she was right. "I will remember what you said."

Historia smiled cheerfully and looked at the sky. The sun was on its journey to the other side of the sky, causing the few clouds to turn pink. She had been working for so long that she forgot to take a moment and have glimpse of the heavens that brought her to life. "If only I could fly…" She thought to herself.

"Historia! Eren!" Another woman's voice caught their attention. The adolescents turned to see that it was Petra and Ymir coming along to check on them. "There you are!" Petra smiled and noticed the wagon full of harvest cases. "Wow, I see you two have worked really hard out here."

Historia stood up, along with her friend. "Oh, yes, we were just… taking a break."

"That's fine with me."

"Did you need anything?" Historia asked, wondering why Ymir was there. She hadn't seen Ymir since the day of the fight.

"Oh no. We are fine. Ymir here, has something she would like to say, though." Petra faced the freckled woman beside her, who folded her arms.

"Really?" Historia was interested. "Like what?"

Ymir scoffed, but Petra elbowed her right in the waist. Despite being embarrassed, Ymir had no other choice. "I just wanted to… apologize. I guess. For what you had to see."

Historia noticed the bruises on her neck and the scratch marks on her face. "Oh, no, there's no need-"

"Nah, there is. You're both young and shouldn't have to worry about that stuff. Even though it was Petra's fault for bringing you in there." Ymir stopped when Petra elbowed her again, harder this time.

Historia didn't know what to say at first. "Well… if you really mean it… I forgive you."

"Good. Are we done now?" Ymir looked away and pouted.

Petra shook her head. "Please excuse her. She tends to be full of pride."

"I don't mind," Historia smiled again, appreciating Ymir's indirect warmth.

"Oh, and Ymir also offered dinner at her home!" Petra clasped her hands together, yet Ymir glared at her as if a secret had been revealed.

"That would be nice," Historia replied.

"We thought of doing it early, since Ymir's planning on leaving tomorrow."

"Huh? Tomorrow?"

Ymir sighed. "Yeah, I still have business to attend to."

"When will you return?" Historia wanted to know.

"To be frank… I don't know. Might as well say my farewells now."

Historia didn't want her to leave. She had just met Ymir, whom she considered a newfound friend. As conceited and hotheaded as Ymir was, Historia thought she was kind and wanted to get to know her better. "But," Historia remembered and frowned. "I thought we weren't friends. You said it yourself."

Ymir recalled the exact words she said. "You're right… but I'm not one to abandon others. If you choose not to go, then by all means forget about it."

"No," Historia stopped her. "It's okay. We'll come over." She smiled at Ymir, who soon began to feel bad for what she said before.

"Great!" Petra cried, rather excited. "Now, let's get that wagon into storage before the sun sets on us."

* * *

By the time they stored some of Fall's harvest, the light of day had drained away, giving way to the black of night. The shadows were now twice as long as themselves, the air was damp and cool enough to cause quite a shiver. In the gathering gloom the stars and the moon shone brighter in the sky, as if it was reminding the villagers there is light even in darkness. The streets transitioned from loud and full of activity, to still and undisturbed, or so it seemed. In Ymir's dwelling, a rectangular cottage made out of stone and wood panels, smoke spewed right out of the chimney as Historia aided Petra in making a pot of carrot soup. Historia listened attentively for Petra's direction and reminisced a time when she learned how to make the exact same soup with Frieda. The teen saw Petra as an alternative to her sister and enjoyed listening to Petra's kind voice; only, the bond that only sisters were supposed to share were nonexistent, and it wasn't the same.

Eventually, they served everyone else including themselves a small bowl of the soup and sat in the round table in the middle of the room lit by several candle lanterns. "This isn't half bad," Ymir said, trying out what Petra and Historia spent so much time on making. "For a pair of amateurs, you did quite well."

Petra shot back. "Every time. I'd like to see you make the same thing."

"Hey, I'm not saying I'm more skilled than you; I'm just surprised that you both have the ability."

"Well, be grateful that you're filling your stomach. I knew people in the past who would have _killed_ to be in your position." Petra grinned as Ymir rolled her eyes and continued eating. Historia glanced at them both and admired how close they were together even as acquaintances. Everyone sat in silence for a short moment, until Historia decided to break the ice. "May I ask… how you two became so close?"

Ymir scoffed and shook her head. "Eh, we're really not that close. We've just known each other for a long time."

"Agreed," Petra added. Historia tilted her head and didn't understand how that was possible, so Petra decided to explain. "Ever since Ymir arrived in this village and vowed to help protect us, I came to respect her as a person. We trust and help one another when necessary and solve any issues that come up. Of course, it's fun to let loose once in a while and laugh… but at the end of the day, we are completely different individuals with different goals in life."

"Aren't you sad when she leaves?" Historia wondered again.

Petra stopped eating and frowned. "I worry for her safety, but… I know that she will return from whatever business she attends to."

"It's not something to worry about." Ymir spoke again and also stopped eating. "We chose to close off our emotions of friendship because it is better that way."

"It hurts… but that's how it needs to be." Petra nearly shivered. Historia could tell that Petra truly enjoyed Ymir as a friend, even though they could never grow any closer than how they already were. "I have a feeling that you two are closer than you think," Historia said. "Why would you want to be closed off from each other?"

"Past events… trauma… there are a number of things. It's difficult to explain. It would be amazing to know what life was like for Ymir, but we decided to respect each other's privacy and move on with our lives." Petra was hurting on the inside; but she refused to let it show, as requested.

"Enough about us already." Ymir suddenly groaned, tired of being interrogated. "You truly are a sheltered child. From asking about our relation to each other to the Land of the Failed… there's no end."

"It's not my fault." Historia looked at her soup. "I was raised this way… I don't know anything about this world or how to live in it like you. I'm trying to learn as much as I can… like why I died in the woods and came back to life, why there are demons in this world, why the men hate women and vice versa, where is The Failed and who is the king that rules it…" The girl looked up when she realized that she spoke too much. Petra stared at her with wide eyes and wanted to tell the teen something she heard from her maids yet was cut off.

"Frankly, it's better that you don't know." Ymir stated.

"Why's that?" Historia asked.

"Because the deeper you dig, the less likely you are to get out."

"What if our lives depend on digging for those answers?"

"Then the more likely you are to get into shit."

Historia silenced and thought about what she was saying. Is it worth getting into bad situations by being too curious?

"C-can I just say a word?" Petra raised her hand, and everyone faced her. She needed to get something off her chest but was too overwhelmed with emotions to spill it out. "Ah, never mind."

Ymir sighed as if it wasn't important and turned to the adolescent boy sitting right beside Historia. "What about you?" she asked, pointing at him. Eren quickly looked up and stopped eating. He had been so quiet that he was practically invisible to everyone else, that is, until Ymir brought him back down to earth. "Don't you talk?" Ymir questioned again with a serious face.

Eren turned to Historia, and then back to the freckled woman. Historia believed he was uncomfortable, so she tried to excuse it. "Please forgive him, he's just-"

"Let him speak for himself," Ymir interjected and leaned on her hand while looking into Eren's eyes. "If he could tell that cunt to stop five days ago, then he can speak now."

The boy didn't know what to say.

Ymir grinned. "You have a lot of nerve. Coming in here and acting like the victim when it is really the opposite. But I can see right through you. You're not so dangerous as they claim to be. You're not one of them.… you're just an insecure little boy, emotionally attached to a naive little girl. At least, that's how I see it now. I wonder what made you this way."

He wasn't offended by her words yet began to avoid seeing her face. He wanted to trust her.

"Eren is it?" Ymir then asked again. When he nodded, she continued. "I actually have something for you." She got up from her seat and went to a wooden closet to grab a large sack of unknown items inside. Historia and Eren both wondered what Ymir was fetching from her things, and she pulled out a small weapon with a pointed, sharp blade on it. When she came back to sit down, she raised it for Eren to see. "I believe this is yours," Ymir said. "It was left on the ground from when I took that demon out of you. Figured it was important, so I kept it with me."

"My gift…" Eren's eyes suddenly gave life and he stretched his arm over to take it from Ymir, but she pulled it away from his reach. Historia understood now of what Eren meant when he asked her about his gift when he awoke from his coma. The dagger was somehow special to him, and without it meant he was vulnerable.

"No, you can't have it back just yet." Ymir scolded lightly. "Not until I completely trust that you won't go on a killing spree while we sleep."

"You are contradicting yourself," Historia softly added. "He won't hurt anyone. He knows better than that, I hope." Eren nodded, agreeing with his friend. "I promise," he soon spoke again, and meant it. He just wanted his stuff back.

Ymir raised an eye brow and hesitated, until she had an idea. "Alright. Fine. I'll give it to you if you do one little favor for me. There is a pile of firewood just outside of the back door. Would you mind getting a few for us, since it is getting a bit chilly in here?"

Eren wasn't sure if he should do it, so Historia reassured him that everything would be fine if he just did what Ymir asked without questioning it. If it meant getting his things back, Eren decided to obey the little request and got up from his seat to go outside. He left before anyone else could say anything to him, but Ymir chuckled. "I like him."

Historia did not realize it, but Ymir was trying to experiment on him. And so far, she was pleased. All they had to do now was wait for his return.

Once he walked over to the back of the cottage, Eren found the large pile of firewood that had already been chopped up for use. Before he knelt over to pick up a few, he looked up at the night sky and observed the full moon that was surrounded by twinkling stars. There was a backdrop of crickets chirping in the tall grass and a group of fireflies danced to their songs. Eren knew he had to hurry, although he couldn't help but to enjoy peaceful solitude.

It wasn't until he found himself struggling. His sight was blinded by a black sack that went over his head and pulled him backwards into the arms of an unknown individual. He was soon heaved up into multiple arms and dragged against his will somewhere that was further away from Ymir's cottage. Eren used every bit of his strength to fight back, but there was no use; once the black sack was removed from his head, he again found himself with his hands tied together, leaning against a brick wall. Freaking out, Eren forcibly pulled on the ropes until his wrists began to hurt.

"Well, well, what do we have here!" A familiar woman's voice exclaimed. Eren looked forward and saw four ladies who did not seem like the friendly villagers he had been witnessing for five days straight; and one of them was the exact same woman who fought with Ymir. The woman knelt over close to Eren's face while the others surrounded him, and she smiled. "Why look at you! All scared and defensive… not very nice isn't it?"

Eren tried to ignore her and continued to pull on the ropes. The woman suddenly grabbed his face, and he stopped what he was doing. "Gee, you sure do put up a fight. I for one know what it's like to be in your shoes. Restrained to a secluded space, isolated from the world, no food or water, beaten and harassed every day… it sure isn't fun. And you wanna know who did it to me? Do you?"

He wanted to escape somehow, but there were no animals nearby for him to control. His captor, who expected a response, suddenly smacked him across his face. "You'd better answer me when I'm talking to you!" She picked him up from his side and slammed him upright against the wall. "I've been watching you, you see. You and your little girly-friend. Helping out, pretending to be nice to everyone. But you can't fool me. It's all just some little scheme to make everyone trust in you, so that you can stab them in the back. And I _refuse_ to let that happen. I _refuse_ to allow scum to take over this town!"

Eren suddenly tried to attack her with his arms, but they were tied in such a way that he could barely move them apart. "Aw, what's wrong?" the woman soon asked. "Can't seem to defend yourself? Too weak to move freely? You're not so strong after all, aren't you? That's too bad!" The evil woman snapped her fingers and prompted one of her friends to fetch something from an empty stable.

"Do you wanna know what I'm going to do to you?" she asked again, a sadistic smile growing on her face. "We're going to have so much fun. Your ears will deafen from the sound of your own screams… and those pretty little eyes of yours will cry tears of blood once we're finished. Then, I'm going to fetch that blond girl whom you call your friend… I won't touch her. But she'll be hurt, seeing your mutilated body."

"No," Eren cried, and looked into the woman's eyes with legitimate fear. The woman's friend finally returned with a large bucket in her hands, and roughly placed it in front of Eren. He didn't know what was in there, but the horrible smell nearly made him gag. The other friends giggled as the woman ordered them to stand him up to his feet, and they tied him so that he'd hang from his arms from a wooden beam. They ripped his shirt off of him and threw it to the floor. "You did this to yourself, sweetheart," said his captor, who put long gloves on her hands. "No one will come to your rescue. It's just you and me. Might as well say your prayers now. I'll be sure to let your friend know that she was in your thoughts." She bent over to stick her hand in the bucket and took out a handful of horse feces. Eren did everything he could to break free from the ropes, but the woman suddenly grabbed him still with one hand. "Open wide!" She said and shoved the feces into his mouth with her other hand. The others laughed as he spit it all out and gagged uncontrollably.

"Stop, please!" Eren yelled, both upset and terrified.

"Aw, you're begging!" his captor shouted again, and shoved more feces into his mouth, practically smearing it all over his face because of how much he refused. "Swallow it, or else!"

He purposely spit it on her. "Fuck!" she screamed and backed away. "Ugh! You disgusting piece of shit!" She turned to her friends and told them that it was their turn. Eren watched as they giggled excitedly and soon took turns whacking his body with tree branches and leather whips. One by one, the five women took out their compressed rage on him until they broke through his skin. He screamed on the top of his lungs in agony and felt as if his life was flashing before his eyes. The only things going through his mind was getting revenge, and the thought of Historia getting caught up in it.

* * *

"Something's wrong," Historia spoke to herself in a worried voice. "It's been too long. Why hasn't Eren returned yet?"

Petra nodded, also concerned. "I agree. He should have been back by now."

"I'm sure he ran off." Ymir stretched her arms. "For such a simple task… it's alright though, he's his own person."

Historia shook her head and stood up from her seat. "No, he wouldn't do this."

"Where are you going?" Ymir sighed.

"I'm going to look for him."

"No, Historia-"

"I'm going!" Historia sped her way to the door and ran outside. Ymir groaned and jumped up from the table to go after the teen, and Petra decided to abandon her seat to follow her also. The three of them walked into the dirt street while Historia nervously called for her friend. "Where can he be?" she thought out loud and called Eren's name again. "Maybe he's at the inn?" Petra asked, trying to help.

"Or, he went into the woods." Ymir added.

Historia stopped in her tracks when she heard something in the distance. "Do you hear that?" she said. Ymir grew concerned when she did hear the same sound: the screams of several women. "Yeah, I do actually."

Historia led the way and ran towards the sound, until they discovered a large horse stable built out of bricks at the end of the village, and the sounds were no more by the time they reached the doors. Ymir told them to stay behind them and carefully opened it. And when they all saw what was inside, Ymir covered her mouth in disgust. Three female bodies were sprawled out on the ground with tree branches sticking out from their stomachs. A fourth one hung from a wooden beam by a whip tied around her neck. There was blood all over the floor, and there Eren was, sitting in the middle of it. "Eren!" Historia cried and ran over to him, ignoring Ymir's warning to stay away. Before she could meet him with an embrace, she studied the bodies around him and the blood stains on his skin. "Eren… what have you done?"

"You lied to me!" Eren shouted at her out of nowhere.

Historia blinked. "What…?"

"You said… that they wouldn't harm us… you said to not be afraid. But you lied!"

Historia realized what he was saying and felt a rush a guilt taking over. "Eren…"

He unsteadily stood up and faced her. "Why would you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie! I swear… I didn't know this would happen."

"Historia… what am I to you?" he then asked, tears filling his eyes.

She was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so she went up to give him a hug. "You're my friend."

Eren shook his head and shoved her. "Stay away from me!"

"Is that not what you want to hear?" Historia cried.

"Do you know what it's like… to be tortured daily for something you didn't do?" Eren asked, clenching his fists. "To be treated like something you're not?"

Historia stayed quiet; didn't know what else to say or how to say it. Eren gave up and suddenly ran from her, escaping the stable with his eyes squeezed shut. Ymir and Petra said nothing, unsure of whether to comfort Historia or to leave her be. The teen soon turned around to the exit and stared at the floor. She was painfully guilty; not only did she say a lie, but she lost her only friend because of it. Historia failed to protect him yet again.

She wanted to be punished for it.


	11. Fight or Flight

**_The next morning._**

"Historia?" called Petra. It had been an entire night since the incident with Eren, and after what happened, Historia ran back to the inn and hid herself in her room. It wasn't until Petra came and knocked on the door. "I know you're in there. May I come in?"

There was no answer. Petra swallowed hard. She, along with Ymir, had witnessed the entire incident that night. While she knew to give Historia space, Petra grew worried that the girl would spend the rest of the day inside without any social contact. "I'm coming in," Petra announced and turned the knob.

On the bed was Historia, lying on her side beneath a blanket. Some of her yellow hair covered her face and her eyelids were slightly red from constantly wiping tears away. She had been trying to cry herself to sleep all night long, but never managed to forget the pain of losing her only friend whom she couldn't protect. She was tired of crying but couldn't help it. When she noticed Petra, Historia covered her face. "Go away."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Petra said and sat on the bed beside the girl.

"I want to be alone."

"I know your upset about last night. But you can't just stay here all day. Please tell me what's bothering you." Petra insisted.

Historia silenced for a while, until she decided to sit up and hug her knees. "Everything I do seems to turn against me."

"That is not true," Petra replied, although she didn't know what else to say to make her feel better.

Historia shook her head. "I do things that I believe are sincere, but it all turns out to be a mistake at the end. And now my friend is gone. He hates me now."

"Well… maybe things happen for a reason."

Historia suddenly turned to Petra, nearly disgusted. "Are you saying that Eren deserved it?"

"N-no, of course not!" Petra stuttered. "Look, I may not know of your past. But I do know that you are a much better person than those women who hurt your friend. So, don't sit here and be pitiful of yourself."

"He was right, you know… we should have stayed home."

"He can't be far. I'm sure he'll return soon."

Historia thought for a moment and faced Petra again. "What if he doesn't? What if he ends up hurting others because of how he was treated?"

"That boy is pure," Petra stated, as if it was a fact. "I knew he was from the very moment I laid my eyes on him. There were doubts, yes… but I'm sure he wouldn't just leave you alone. He'll come back."

Historia sighed and thought about Petra's words. She wanted to have faith, yet she was beginning to learn that being faithful had consequences. She was afraid of getting into dangerous situations again and putting others through risks and wanted everything to be as peaceful as it should be. "I just want to go home."

Petra frowned and soon took the girl's hand. "Whatever you decide to do, it is fine with me."

Historia nodded and imagined what it would be like to go back home to her sister. Would Frieda be Excited? Angry? Would she meet Historia with an embrace, or meet her with tears? Did Frieda miss her at all? Going back home where she was protected meant everything to Historia, but so was exploring the world. For years she had desired to learn about life beyond that fence and see what it was truly like to live in it. But now, she wasn't sure if she could handle it. Her adventure had just begun, yet it constantly pulled her back.

While Historia contemplated everything, Petra stared at her and grew nervous again. Something she found out about the teen bothered her so much that it caused her body temperature to go up. "I don't mean to change the subject, but… I've been meaning to ask you this, as it was brought to my attention."

"Hm?" The teen looked up.

"Are you aware that… you aren't fully human?"

Historia blinked at her and said nothing. Petra frowned at the sight of Historia's stoic face and anxiously rubbed her hands together. It was a windy morning outside, and the room they were in was so eerily silent that they could hear the wind pushing against the walls. Historia couldn't comprehend what she was just told. "Petra… what do you mean?" she asked, nervously.

"So, it's true," Petra nearly gasped. "You don't know."

"What are you talking about?" Historia raised her voice a little.

Petra took her hands to calm her. "Listen… when the maids were washing you, they found something. When it was brought to my attention… well, I didn't know how to tell you."

"I don't understand." Historia shook her head. Petra got up from the bed and told Historia to follow her to the wooden vanity containing a mirror. Historia walked to the vanity and looked at Petra through the reflection. "It's on your back," Petra said softly. Historia hesitantly raised her buttoned shirt enough and moved her hair aside to reveal her shoulder blades and tried to look at her back with the mirror. A large, acute heptagram was imprinted on her bare skin. "What is this?" Historia asked, puzzled. She had never seen such an intricate shape, let alone on her own skin. She now wondered how long Frieda knew about the mark, if she even knew about it at all, considering that Frieda was the one who cared for her the most in the past. "How was I not aware of this?" Historia thought out loud and soon put her shirt back on correctly.

"Don't worry… the mark itself won't hurt you. It's the meaning behind it that you should be concerned about." Petra said and took the girls shoulders. "You are what they call… a blessed child. Children who contain the souls of gods or goddesses."

"Really?" Historia asked, looking at her hands. "I am a carrier of a goddess's soul… is that bad?"

Petra sighed and looked at the ceiling. "Not necessarily. From what I was taught, a blessed child would become immortal after their first death. After that point, their wounds will always heal if ever injured."

Historia nearly felt her heart stop. It all made sense. "So, that's how I came back to life… I can't believe it."

"Yes. It is hard to believe." Petra soon faced Historia again, and thought of something. "Do you remember what it was like?"

"What?"

"To be dead."

The teen looked at her hands again. She didn't really know how to explain it all. "I can't remember… it all happened so fast."

"You remember nothing?"

"There _was_ this strange vision I had-"

"A _vision_? What did you see?" Petra was desperate to know, and Historia grew uncomfortable with the way Petra leaned in close to listen. "I'd rather not say," the teen replied.

Petra realized what she was doing and moved away. "I'm sorry. I suppose I get too worked up. It's a mysterious thing."

"Right." Historia nodded and soon hopped off of the bed. "Thank you for telling me this, Petra."

The young woman blinked and smiled. "Oh, you're welcome. Where are you going now?"

"I'm going to take a walk," Historia replied. "I think it'll help me feel better and take everything in."

"Okay… whatever helps." Petra nodded. Historia was soon out of the door, in a heartbeat.

She did exactly what she said she was going to do. Historia strolled on the dirt path that brought her further into the village. She was already upset about the incident that occurred the night before and now Petra said that Historia wasn't what thought she was all her life. Historia realized how confusing and strange this world was, although it was so beautiful. Perhaps it was too much for her to handle. She wished Frieda was by her side again. If only they had separated on good terms. If only Frieda told her the truth about her immortality. As much as Historia missed her sister, she couldn't understand why Frieda never informed her of being a Blessed Child.

Historia shook her head, as it ached from thinking too much. "I want to go home," she sighed. Historia turned to her left, about to say something else, yet realized that nobody was there to listen. "If only Eren was here…" She looked at the ground.

"Hey."

Historia glanced up at the young, freckled woman before her. She must have seen Historia from a distance. "What's up with you?" asked Ymir.

"I-it's nothing." The teen blinked, but soon rubbed her arm. "I just… Petra said that… I'm a Blessed Child. Did you know too?"

"I had a feeling." Ymir just said. "After all, you did come back to life. I was shocked myself. So I never brought it up again."

Historia sighed and observed Ymir, noticing the amount of dirt on her clothes and mud on her boots. Ymir carried a large sack over her shoulders with one hand and her eyes showed no signs of life. "What's the matter…?" Historia asked to break the silence.

"I just spent the entire morning burying my own people." Ymir's voice was cold.

"You mean… the ones who hurt Eren?" Historia asked again, but already knew the answer.

Ymir looked away. "I buried them. The women who got on my damn nerves... yet the same women who I swore to protect."

"Why bury them if they were so bad?"

"They were good people before." Ymir glanced at Historia again. "They used to be children."

"I see…"

Ymir nodded and thought for a moment. She pulled a blade handle from her leather belt and handed it toward Historia. "Sorry about your friend. This is his dagger. I was never able to give it back to him… perhaps you'll make use of it while he's gone."

"Oh," Historia blinked and took it from her hand. She never really got to look at it up close; the handle was wrapped with a stained blue cloth and the pointed blade needed to be sharpened. She realized that it used to be in Eren's hands and could have sworn that it was still warm from him holding it. "Thank you, Ymir. I will protect it."

"Good. I'll be leaving now." Ymir started walking past the teen.

"Huh? W-wait!" Historia stuttered and tried to stop her. "Are you really still leaving?"

"I have to." Ymir replied. "I _want_ to."

Historia didn't want to bother her with more questions, except she let only one out. "But where will you go? I don't want you to get hurt…"

"I can't stay here all the time, kid." Ymir stopped walking. "To live in a place where you do the same jobs every day, preparing for winter, feeding the animals… to live in a place where nobody appreciates the things you do for them… it's a bit unbearable. I have a life to live. And I don't want to spend it with those who could care less."

"But… _I_ care about you." Historia admitted, sadly. "As a friend."

Ymir couldn't look at her anymore. "I'm glad you feel that way. But for the last time… we're not friends." She said and started walking again. Historia held her breath and watched Ymir go. "Please don't leave," Historia cried and looked at her reflection from the dagger's blade.

"Historia-"

"This isn't fair!" Historia shivered. The chilly wind blew harder. "I don't want to be alone… I'm confused. Everything I knew about myself was a lie. I'm not a human anymore… I'll never grow old. I used to think that these things were fake, but it's not. What will I do if you grew old and left me here? At least tell me what I should do!"

Ymir just stopped in her tracks. "Look. I get it. You're scared. But you need to grow up. Stop being so dependent on others… the more you rely on them, the less likely you are to survive on your own."

"But I don't know how!" Historia stomped her foot down and faced the ground in frustration. "I don't know how to be like you… I don't even know how to be like Petra! I've always wanted to know what it was like to be far from home. To see the world… to understand how it works. But everything seems to backfire on me. And now I've discovered what I truly am. I want to go home… yet some part of me still wants to accomplish something."

"Then stop being afraid." Ymir raised her voice. "Stop being afraid of the truth. If you want to learn so badly, then do it. You obviously left home for a reason. Learn how to be your own person and quit complaining so much."

Historia felt a certain pain in her chest that made her hold her breath. "I understand," she whispered meekly. "You are right."

Ymir sighed and walked up to Historia to grab her hand. "Let me bring you back to the inn," she said, noticing how much Historia shivered from the cold air. "You'll get sick being out here." The teen looked up at Ymir and nodded and started walking alongside her.

By the time they arrived at the inn, they noticed what looked like a large group of strangers strolling down the dirt path, wearing black cloaks and jingling small bells. Some of the other women confusedly watched from their houses. It was a sight that they had never seen before; nobody in the village participated in such strange, if spiritual activities. "What the hell is going on?" Ymir wondered, raising an eyebrow.

Soon, they were met with Petra, who had been watching through a window inside and ran out to them. "There you are! I was looking for you two!" She said. "These people just entered this place without speaking a word moments ago… no one knows whether to go up to them or not."

"Has this happened before?" Historia asked, observing the people in cloaks. "Are they dangerous?"

"We'll see," Ymir grew annoyed and dropped the sack she carried to the ground. She quickly stomped over to the group of strangers and yelled for their attention. "Hey! Who the hell are you and why are you here?" She spoke. The group stopped moving, silenced their bells and faced her. One of them stepped forward as if they were the on leading the group all along. The person kept their head down and let the hood cover their face. "Why hello there, madam," they greeted. Their voice sounded like it belonged to a female; only, it was unusually lower in pitch. "Do not worry. We come in peace."

Ymir just scoffed. She had no time for manners. "You are trespassing into our territory. Either leave or be punished."

The leader chuckled and shook her head. "Never fear. We have come here to send a message. Please, allow us to share it with you. Then we'll be on our way."

"We do not have the time, nor patience to listen to you preach. We've done lots of praying in the past, and it never fucking worked." Ymir pointed at her. Watching near the entrance of the inn, Historia suddenly felt her stomach tie into a knot. Something about this group was off, yet she couldn't put her finger on it.

"P-please excuse her," Petra soon went over to Ymir and smiled. "She's a bit irritated from… well, an incident that recently occurred."

"Ah, yes. I can see. Perhaps you all _are_ a bit on edge." The leader said calmly. "I can tell that you do not get visitors often."

"If you promise to leave… then we'll listen to your message. Regardless if it has to do with your religion or not." Petra replied. Ymir looked at her as if she was insane, but Petra knew what she was doing. Or so she thought.

The leader of the group clasped her hands together. "Thank you, for your kind gesture. Be aware that this message doesn't consist of us preaching about our spirituality. Rather… it is a warning."

"A warning?" Petra tilted her head.

"A _warning_ …?" Historia blinked. The feeling in her stomach grew stronger. She saw a crow landing to the ground near her and studied it for a moment. Until she realized what color its eyes were.

"Yes, a warning." The leader replied to Petra and grabbed her hood. She carefully removed it to reveal the long hairs on her head and set her hands to her sides. "A warning of bad times to come."

"Like what?" Petra asked, trying to get a better look at her face. The leader chuckled again and looked up at the two young women with a daunting, suggesting smile. And they frowned, realizing that this female wasn't a female to begin with.

Lowering to his real voice, the man in the cloak told his message: "Meaning, you'd better flee while you can."

With a snap of the leader's fingers, the group of men swiftly threw their cloaks off and ran towards the villagers with knives in their hands. Before Ymir could shield her, Petra was struck by the leader's weapon, a sickle which he hid in his belt. He sliced her neck open before she could even blink and collapsed, while her blood came gushing out. Historia screamed on the top of her lungs and ran up to Petra's dying body. And the crow that was beside Historia had long flown away.

Cursing loudly, Ymir snapped and threw a heavy fist right into the man's face, making him stumble. "You fucking bastard!" She shouted. "Why are you doing this?!"

The man laughed and pulled himself together. "You know what we want. And we're going to get it our way." He approached the freckled woman and kicked her to the ground. He kept kicking her until she had no strength left to get back up.

"Stop it!" Historia yelled at the man, while kneeling over Petra's finally deceased corpse. She couldn't bear watching her friends this way. First Eren, and now this? Her eyes became flooded with tears, watching and listening to the violence unfold around her. The rest of the men set fire to the houses from the inside, destroyed them manually, and let the blood of the residents spill over by beating and tearing them apart with their hands. "We did nothing to you… we're innocent!"

The man came over to Historia and bent over to take a good look at her. "Sometimes, a deed needs to be done to survive. We take what we want, when we want; first come, first serve. A pretty girl like you wouldn't understand. In fact…" The man grabbed Historia's arm and roughly stood her up. "You might just be what we're looking for."

"No! Don't touch her!" Ymir cried from the ground, too weak to stand up.

"Let me go!" Historia flailed her limbs and remembered the dagger she was holding in her hand. She swung her arm toward the man and the dagger unexpectedly struck right into his shoulder, forcing him to let her go due to the immense pain. She quickly pulled the blade out and got away from him, realizing what she had just done.

"You little bitch," the man growled under his breath and clutched his shoulder. He whistled, calling over two of his men. "You're going to pay for that!" When they came over, the man ordered his two comrades to take the teen, and they did so by grabbing her arms to hoist her up to her feet. While struggling to get away from them, she accidentally let the dagger fall to the ground. "Bring her to the others," the man demanded as turned away. "She'll be a perfect addition to our collection."

"No! Ymir, help me!" Historia twisted her body around and tried to pull away from the men dragging her, but they were too strong. Her heart raced as she saw herself being distanced from her friend. Ymir picked herself up to her hands and knees. But the leader saw this and kicked her down again, keeping his foot on her back to restrain her. He wanted her to watch everyone suffer. Historia shook her head and gave up trying to escape. She wished she could do something to save everyone. But the men were too strong. At this point, several houses were burned and destroyed to the ground, including some parts of the inn and tavern. Petra was lifeless, and Ymir was forced to watch her people drop like flies. She never thought a place so peaceful would turn out to be a war zone. And for an instant, she remembered how similar it all was to the vision she had before coming back to life.

The two men brought her to a caged, wooden carriage at the end of the village, where more of their people waited. They tied Historia's hands together with some rope, picked her up and threw her inside of it. She landed on bags of coins, jewelry and metal objects, and saw the men outside of the carriage talk amongst themselves. "We're going to be rich," one of them said with a spring in their step. "Especially with the girl."

"Let's make sure she's worth selling, first." Another man said, and the rest agreed. Historia moved away from the cage as they soon observed her with smiles on their faces. "You are thieves," she realized, narrowing her eyebrows. "You should be ashamed… killing people for their things… think about the families who have nothing left! The people who work hard to earn things! How can you just take it all away?"

The men just laughed. "Try not to think about it so hard, sweetie. After all, it's just business."

Out of nowhere, Historia heard somebody shriek near the carriage. The men that were observing her turned to see what was happening, yet each one of them were unexpectedly pulled to the ground. Eventually the men around the carriage were slammed against it as if something was attacking them. Historia flinched and covered her eyes while the carriage shook side-to-side. She listened to what sounded like dogs barking and scratching through clothing. Those who screamed either silenced the moment they were assaulted by whatever animal was biting into their flesh or ran away. Historia felt like she was in a nightmare; she hoped to wake up back home with her sister as if nothing ever happened.

Historia opened her eyes. Besides the remaining number of women being slaughtered in the distance, she heard not a sound. Nobody was looking at her anymore. Except for one familiar face. Crawling over toward the outlet, she blinked twice. "Eren…? You came back…?"

The boy standing outside nodded and held up the small blade in his hand for her to see. "I saw you drop this." He smiled and quickly opened the cage for her. "We need to leave. Give me your hands. Hurry." Historia showed him her tied hands. She was right about that crow; it resembled his eyes, the way it looked after her. Eren came to her rescue, just as he had always done. But she didn't feel like she deserved it.

Just as Eren was cutting her loose, he was hit on the head from behind and left the dagger in the cage before he fell. "Eren!" Historia cried, checking to see if he was okay. She then noticed one of the three men who did it after they all saw Eren from a distance. "Y'all sure do put up a fight. Look at this mess you've made," one of them said, pointing out the multiple bodies on the grass. "But hey, more for us!" They all chuckled and picked Eren up before he could fight back, but it wasn't until he was shoved in the cage with Historia and locked in. Eren sat up and rubbed his head while Historia shouted at the men to let them out. But they ignored her, and the carriage eventually started moving forward once the leader returned to his men.

The village was completely wiped clean of its peacefulness and tranquility. Petra was gone forever, and Ymir's status was unknown. Historia's true friend had returned to her, yet they both had their freedom stolen. She tried to remain as calm as possible… but inside her mind was a hurricane, jumbling her thoughts around until there was one left.

 _"Where are we going?!"_


	12. First Snow

"Historia?" Eren said. He'd been staring at her ever since the men snatched them both into the carriage. There were small bruises on his face and abrasions on his arms and torso, but he ignored them. Historia sat there, hugging her legs in a corner. She leaned on the wooden bars and watched the sky, yearning to touch the clouds. The men pulling the carriage talked loudly about their success, not caring about the well-being of their two prisoners inside. Historia was a little bird confined against her own will. It had only been a few hours. But for Historia, it had been decades.

Eren blinked and slowly scooted himself over to her. "Historia," he said again and reached a hand over to touch her.

"What do you want?" the girl hissed without facing him.

"Please look at me."

"Leave me alone."

"Why?" Eren asked. "Are you angry with me?"

Historia slowly turned to him. She was taking her anger out on the wrong person. "No. Are _you_?"

Eren silenced.

"I don't understand," Historia whispered. "Why did you come back for me after… after what happened to you?"

"I had a bad feeling." Eren admitted and looked down. "I was so angry that… I ran away from the village. But something told me to stay close, so I did… and as soon as I saw the men in cloaks approaching, I ran back to warn you… but I was too late."

"Petra," Historia remembered, and felt her eyes moisten. Her throat choked up, and she struggled to speak. "They killed Petra… they killed everyone… and Ymir…"

"Stop," Eren shook his head. "Do not blame yourself… you would tell me the same thing. Those men will pay for what they've done. I am going to kill them all. Don't worry."

Historia continuously wiped the tears running down her cheeks. "I tried to stop them but… they were too strong. I couldn't save anyone. I couldn't even help _you_ … if only I had known what those women were doing to you… if only I had paid more attention… if only I had listened to you and-"

"You're wrong," Eren stopped her again and frowned. "I was a fool for running away. For endangering you… I regret doing so. I couldn't stop imagining your face… and I couldn't bear to see it lifeless."

"But why were you so upset?" Historia soon asked, finally looking at him. Eren looked away and folded his arms as if he had trouble admitting something. "You wouldn't understand." He said.

Historia grabbed his arm and cried, "I will. Please, just say it!"

Eren stayed quiet for a while, until he came up with something to say. "Fine… but you must promise me that you'll never speak of this again."

When Historia nodded, Eren took a deep breath. Historia tried to calm herself to listen to him, and noticed how uncomfortable he seemed, for he kept rubbing his arms. "I was born in a place where we used to live in secret. We were hated… but of course, I never knew why." Eren began. "But one day, a swarm of bandits… came out of nowhere and destroyed everything in their path. They murdered without hesitation, searching for something useful. My mother hid me in a cupboard to protect me. But when the bandits found her, they murdered her … all because she wanted to fight back. I was only three… but even today I can still hear her screams." Eren stopped for a moment and shivered from the cold wind blowing through the cage he and Historia were in.

"I'm so sorry," Historia said, in shock. She didn't expect him to say this much at once.

"When they found me," Eren just continued. "They decided to let me live. For whatever reason, they took an interest in me. So, they took me in as one of their own. Only… the home they brought me to was far from a happy place. Meals were rare, and I was never educated. I did learn how to speak, however, because I listened to everything. But I was never allowed to say a word unless I was spoken to. When the time came along, I was assigned to what they called a Superior. And eventually, he began training me. I was the only child. There were others like me, and they were slaves. But my Superior believed I was more than that. He knew I had a gift. He profited off me, just as the other Superiors did with their slaves. My superior coerced me to kill small animals as a part of the training. If I did not obey, he'd beat me until he got it through my skull.

"Small animals turned into bigger ones, and they soon turned into people. I attended competitions where I had to kill another man to win. At first, loss was a huge issue for me. I feared the idea of death. My Superior lost money… and as a result, he lost his temper. He whipped me in front of the other slaves to teach me a lesson that… in order to win, I must kill. And so, I did. As I grew, it became a priority. Regardless of their age, size, or height… I _had_ to win. Everyone called me 'The Monster with Yellow Eyes' and feared to even come close. My superior gave me a gift for winning so much: a dagger. And I only accepted my gift because he praised me for finally doing something right. For a split second, he was the father I never got to have. Yet I knew that all of it was just exploitation. Manipulation. Corruption. And eventually, I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get out."

"A father you never had," Historia whispered to herself, and then faced her friend again. "What did you do?" She was afraid to hear Eren's reply.

Eren sat himself up. "I waited until nightfall and ran, until I found a pack of sleeping guard dogs lying against the wall. Then my Superior caught me trying to flee. When he asked me why I was up without permission, I informed him of all the torture he put me through. That I was sick of being his pet… he didn't like that very much. He tried to threaten me, but I wasn't afraid. Not even when he tried to come after me. I wasn't going to waste my strength. So, I made the dogs do the dirty work."

"Was that how you discovered your power…?" Historia asked once more.

Eren shook his head. "I always knew it was inside of me. I could never allow myself to use it on people at first… but that man was an exception. That is why, when I made my escape, I vowed to never speak again and wandered alone for two years. I vowed to never go back to The Failed. That is, until you found me in those woods. When I saw you, I knew something was bound to begin. I trust only you because you made an effort to show what others lack. You gave me a home. You even taught me how to read. That's why I ran away… because I feared going back to that dark place."

Historia didn't know what else to say at first. She finally understood why Eren was the person he was. "To think that they stole your peace… I wish I was in your place. It makes me sick to my stomach, knowing that you have those memories. I never knew my father either. To be honest, I don't even know if he exists… Frieda always got angry whenever I asked about him. And my mother, well, she's always been depressed. Perhaps it was because our father left us before Frieda and I were born. Maybe he died of an illness or went on a journey all by himself. I was always raised with the mindset that if I knew nothing, I wouldn't have to worry. But that makes me worry even more because of the impact it had on them. I just wish I knew my father's name or what he looked like. I want to know if he squeezes his arms when he hugs. If he speaks in a soft tone or a proud one. I want to know so that one day I could search for him and have an idea of what to do when he is in front of me." The girl stopped. She didn't want to go off on a tangent.

But Eren didn't seem to care. "Maybe he did leave. But at least you had a better childhood. You never know, Historia… maybe he hated you."

"No… I don't believe that."

"How do you know? You never met him."

"Because you can't prove that he was evil," Historia said, in denial.

Eren raised an eyebrow. "And _you_ can't prove that he was a good man."

Historia shut her mouth before she could say another word. Her friend was right. Maybe her father did hate her. Historia looked away. "Do you think… he despised me for being a blessed child?" She soon asked.

"A… a what?" Eren seemed confused.

"A blessed child," Historia repeated herself. "Petra told me that it's when children are carriers of the souls of gods or goddesses. After my first death, I became immortal… which explains how I came back to life after you stabbed me. My wounds will always heal… and I'll never grow old."

"So… you'll live forever?" Eren asked again, as if he had heard horrible news.

"Yes… I even have a mark on my back that proves it..."

"Can I see it?"

"Um," Historia said, unsure. She wasn't comfortable showing her skin to people to begin with, but she trusted that Eren wouldn't do anything strange to her. So she nodded and faced her back towards her friend. She lifted her shirt enough to show only her shoulder blades and wrapped her arms across her chest. "Do you see it?" Historia asked.

Eren observed the heptagram without touching it. "How strange… it looks like a mark one would be cursed with, not blessed…you really are special."

"I hope it's not a curse." Historia sighed and fixed her shirt to make it proper again. It was silent and still for a moment, until the carriage the teens were in trundled over a rocky hill. They lost their balance and fell to their sides on top of the sacks of stolen items. The men driving the mobile prison continued to talk happily as if they didn't care that there were live people inside. "We need to get out of here," Eren finally said, sitting back up along with Historia.

"How?" Historia asked, trying to whisper so no one else but Eren could hear her.

"If they put us in here… that means they're taking us somewhere. We would have to escape when they stop."

"Okay," Historia nodded. "But the gate is locked. How will we get it open?"

"They'll open it for us." Eren stated, an idea popping into his head. "We will create a commotion. When they stop the carriage and come to open the gate, I'll jump out and kill them."

Historia blinked at his straightforwardness. But she couldn't disagree with how strategic his plan was. "That sounds fine with me." She said.

"After I jump out, you'll escape next and make a run for it. But you _cannot_ stop. There may be others. Understand?"

Historia nodded, determined that everything would work out.

When the two men heard screams and thumps coming from beneath them, they decided to stop letting the horses pull the carriage completely. Ahead of them were several groups of their men riding down a hill, while others were struggling to keep up. As annoyed as they were, the men did not want to lose sight of their group. When one of them hopped to the ground, the commotion stopped. The man noticed the two teens inside; Eren, sitting right in front of the gate with his back facing it, and Historia, lying before him with her eyes closed. The man slammed his fists on the side of the cage. "You better quit it, you damn pricks! Or else! Do I make myself clear?" He walked to the gate and waited for an answer.

Eren turned his head over his shoulder. "She's dead," he said.

"What?" The man replied. "That cannot be possible."

"I was trying to get your attention." Eren spoke again. He moved out of the way to show Historia's "dead" body. "She was very sickly."

"Whatever trick you're trying to pull-"

"This isn't a trick. You could have saved her. But now she's dead… she's wasted potential. There's no use for her anymore. At least let me bury her… that way, she'll finally be at peace."

Historia couldn't see his face, but the tone of Eren's voice was so convincing that she almost forgot that all of it was fake. The man seemed a bit skeptical, but he just shook his head. "Fine. Let's make this quick. No funny business." The man said, and soon grabbed Eren's arm to take him out of the cage. Eren held the dagger behind his back with his free arm while the man called for his partner to help him dig up a grave.

Historia slowly opened her eyes and sat up after realizing that nobody was looking. She held her breath and carefully crawled her way out of the carriage without making a sound. She saw Eren and the two other men walking toward a tree, who were probably discussing of where they should start digging. "Please be careful Eren," she whispered to herself. Soon, she heard another carriage approaching and saw two horses pulling it over a hill. "Oh no," She said. Without hesitation, Historia ran as fast as she could, heading toward a wooded area. The man who waited for his partner to comeback with Eren saw the girl running and frowned. "Hey!" He shouted and whistled for his partner's attention. The carriage that came over the hill stopped in place, and the men steering it jumped off their seats to chase Historia with the intent to help their comrades.

The man watching over Eren realized what was happening and clenched his fists. "The little bastards!"

"You killed our friends." Eren said. Before the man could take his anger out on him, Eren kicked the man with such force that he lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud. Eren stood over him as he groaned from the pain and shouted, "Go to hell!"

"You first." Eren replied. He knelt over to cut the man's throat.

Meanwhile, Historia had gone into the woods running nonstop from the thieves chasing her. Once she was far enough, she hid behind a tree to catch her breath. She knew Eren demanded that she not stop but she was too tired; she didn't expect to constantly sprint whenever there was danger. "This is bad," she thought. Nobody was supposed to come over the hill. The plan was supposed to go perfectly without any issues. But it was time for a new plan. Soon enough, she had an idea. "What would Eren do?" she whispered to herself.

Historia looked around and noticed a rock sitting on the dirt. She picked it up and listened for any footsteps. One of the thieves unknowingly got warmer and warmer, searching for the girl while the other followed. "Where are you?" the man called with a sing-song voice. "You know we're going to find you. So come on out, or we'll be rough!"

Historia's heart raced. The sounds of twigs snapping got closer and closer, and she gripped the rock in her hands. For a moment she knew what to do: if the man appears, strike him and make a hasty escape. Historia peeked from behind the tree to see how far the thieves were… but there were none. The sound of footsteps stopped. "Where did they go?" she wondered, believing they disappeared into thin air.

"There you are, you little bitch!" An unexpected voice shouted from behind. Historia spun around and gasped when she saw one of the thieves smiling down at her, getting ready to seize her. But before he could lay a finger on her Historia smashed the rock onto the side of the man's skull, the soft spot high on the temple. He immediately fell to the ground unconscious and bleeding. Historia dropped the rock and sprinted further down the woods, for the other man had seen everything in a distance and began to chase after her with rage. "I'll kill you!" he yelled.

Historia's dress got caught on a log as she ran, and it pulled her entire body, causing her to fall over. On her hands and knees she saw the man sprinting towards her with a sword in his hand. "No, no, no!" Historia cried as she tried to release herself by pulling on her dress. It teared and created a big hole on the fabric the more she yanked it, yet it wasn't letting go of the log. Soon, she tried to break the piece that was caught onto the fabric with her foot. She kicked it repeatedly until she realized that it was going to be impossible to escape. She watched the man approaching her with fearful eyes. "Alright! I surrender! Are you happy now?!" She yelled.

The thief walked toward the girl this time, panting from all the running he just endured. "That's not going to be enough, little girl! Originally, I was planning on letting you live. But now… now you've made me angry."

"You can't kill me. I won't die. So don't you even dare!"

"Hm. Then I suppose I'll make you suffer until you do." The man said. He revealed the sword in his hands with the intent on torturing her and Historia just watched, paralyzed in fear.

The man didn't even get a chance to blink; he became paralyzed himself, before even raising his blade at the girl. A thick, sharp arrow had pierced through his brain and protruded from his forehead in a matter of seconds, and he collapsed to the ground. Historia couldn't even process what had just occurred… until she saw a familiar face coming over to where she was. "Ymir? You're alive?!" she asked in disbelief.

Ymir dropped her bow and dropped to her knees once she was close enough to Historia. "I found you," She grabbed the girl's shoulders while trying to catch her breath. "You idiot, always running off by yourself!"

"How did you find me?" Historia wondered, still in shock.

"I tried to follow them," Ymir replied, breathless. "I stole an arrow from one of the men and ran for miles… until I saw you hiding behind that tree…"

Soon enough, Eren found them both after searching the woods and quickly went to see if Historia was injured. "There you are. Are you hurt?" He asked. He then noticed an exhausted Ymir and a dead man on the grass. "I see you've survived pretty well."

"I'm glad you're okay, Eren." Historia grinned and faced Ymir. "I'm also glad you're okay too, Ymir."

Historia then felt a strange, yet familiar sensation. She felt what she thought were feathers falling on her head. But they left her cold. The air became thinner and frostier, allowing her breath to condensate each time she released it. Then she saw them: tiny white flurries descending from the sky like ashes. Although the moment was peaceful, the moment was a reality check. It worried Historia so much that her stomach felt queasy. "The first snow… Frieda…"

Out of nowhere, a jolt of energy went inside Ymir's body, surprising the two teens. "We need to leave."

"Huh? Why?" Historia asked.

"Because," Ymir picked herself up and ripped off the piece of fabric caught on the log from Historia's dress.

Finally free, the girl stood up again with Eren's help. "Because what?"

"There's something you must know. But I can't explain it to you… we have to go there ourselves."

"What are you talking about?" Eren soon asked.

Ymir picked up the dead man's sword from the ground and walked past the others. "I've been hiding some things from you both… and you will find out when we get there. Now let's go, before more of those bandits find us."


	13. Story of Your Life

For hours, they hiked. Finding an exit from the wooded area, they entered another vast valley with protruding hills. Historia looked around and noticed that the dying grass transitioned from dark green to milk white due to the continuous snowfall. The sun did everything it could to escape from the clouds, but it remained trapped behind them. The little snowflakes fell, growing larger and heavier, piling up beneath her feet. With each step she took she left prints, of which she feared those bandits would follow. Historia glanced ahead of her and noticed Ymir seemingly forcing herself to keep going.

Historia wondered what was going through her mind at that moment. She wondered about the pain Ymir was in. And when Historia turned to her right, she saw Eren beside her. He seemed unfazed by the bitter snowflakes touching his bare skin. He had no shirt and still had unfinished healing wounds, but it was apparent that he could care less about his well-being.

"What's wrong?" Eren suddenly asked Historia.

"Oh. It's nothing, really." She didn't realize the length of time she was staring at him.

"Oh…"

"Aren't you cold?" she soon asked.

Eren just shook his head. "The cold does not bother me."

"That can't be possible."

"How do you think I managed to survive all these years?" he replied and shrugged.

"Still…" Historia sighed and looked ahead of her. After a moment of silence, she folded her arms to keep her from shivering. "I wonder where Ymir is taking us." She then said.

Eren nodded and studied his surroundings. "Wherever she's taking us, she'd better hurry. It'll be sunset soon… and there could be demons spying on us. Or more bandits, even."

Soon, something caught Ymir's eye. She ran to the top of the hill ahead of her and stared forward to get a better view of what she saw. "There," she said, pointing out with her finger. "That is where we are going."

When Historia and Eren caught up to her, they glanced at what she was speaking of. In a short distance was a small, white, rectangular building that had walls built with stone and a roof built with wooden planks. It was seemingly awkward to be in that spot since it was in the middle of nowhere. Because Historia read so much in the past, she thought it looked like a chapel. She knew that people would often come to churches to pray or seek forgiveness from their god or goddess, in order to go to heaven. But why would Ymir bring them to a chapel?

"Why are you bringing us to a chapel?" Historia asked. Ymir just sighed and kept staring at the small building. "You will see when we get there," she answered. Ymir then looked at both of the teens in the eyes, with a stern expression on her face. "I need both of you to listen to me, very closely." She demanded. "When we go inside, do not touch anything. Do not ask too many questions. And for the love of god, do not leave unless we're leaving together. If you disobey me, I will hurt the both of you. Do you understand what I am saying?" Ymir spoke to them like she was their mother, but Historia knew that Ymir wouldn't actually get physical with them.

"Is it _that_ serious?" Eren felt the need to question her.

Ymir let out a long exhale and shook her head. "They're just skeptical of strangers. I don't need you two freaking them out with your curiosity."

"I'm sure we'll become their friends in no time." Historia said.

"Yeah well," Ymir replied, "Just let me do the talking, and we'll see if that happens. Let's go." She suddenly began to walk down the hill, headed for the little building ahead, and Eren was the first to follow behind her.

Eventually, they made it to the entrance of the chapel. Ymir approached it first and knocked on the wooden doors in a rhythmic pattern with her fist and opened it. Ymir soon led them inside as a huge waft of warm air blew against their faces. The heat came from the red votive candles sitting on the floor near the altar and the candle chandeliers hanging from the arched ceiling. The aisle was narrow and there were multiple rows of long, wooden pews on the left and right sides of the room. The four-sided windows on the walls were made out of colorful stained glass.

The entrance doors shut themselves as Historia looked around in astonishment. Eren couldn't help but gaze at the stained window nearby, for it had a pattern of a woman on it. Even though she had never been inside a chapel before, it was a familiar and safe place that made Historia at ease, as if she had just arrived back home again.

"It's lovely in here." Historia stated out loud.

"I wonder who she is." Eren spoke after her and pointed at the pattern of a woman on the stained-glass window. Historia went to see what he was talking about and agreed. "She must be a goddess. Or someone who many people looked up to." she added. Ymir watched them observe the window and let out another long sigh.

"Ymir?" called a male's voice. With that, Historia and Eren spun around to see whose voice it was. Near the altar stood a boy with short blond hair, wearing a white cloak around his body. He was young, possibly a year older than Historia and Eren, and they were surprised to see that he was indeed a male.

The boy in white smiled and sped down the aisle to Ymir, meeting her with a hug. "I knew you'd be back," he said.

"I just saw you not too long ago, Armin." Ymir replied.

"You know how much I adore my friends. Besides, you're always welcome here." Armin let her go and soon noticed the two teens behind her. "Who might these two be?"

"The girl is Historia, and the boy is Eren," Ymir gestured with her hand. "Two pesky children, but my companions nonetheless."

"We're her friends," Historia corrected, ignoring what Ymir told her earlier. But after a moment of silence, she realized this and looked away with embarrassment.

Armin just chuckled. "Friends, huh? That sounds neat. My name is Armin! By the looks of it… I can see that we're the same age."

"Ymir said you would be skeptical of us." Eren interjected, probably to irritate Ymir even further after she called him and Historia "pesky children", and Ymir slapped his arm. Armin saw this and giggled again, apparently amused. "Nonsense. If you're a friend of _my_ friend, then there's nothing for me to worry about."

Ymir slumped in the one of the pews and folded her arms. "Yeah, well. You're in for a surprise. They don't know anything about this world… at least, Historia does not. I found her as she was being attacked by a demon. As for Eren… she was the one who found him in some forest."

"I see." Armin frowned and glanced at the two adolescents. "You two look like you've been through so much trouble."

"Were you a… preacher or something?" Historia wanted to know.

"No. I was never a preacher of any kind," Armin replied. "I used to be a prophet… I have something called clairvoyance, and I was born with it. I can see the past and the future through touch. People used to come by and ask for their fortunes and I'd describe them in such great detail… but they soon believed that what I was saying was psychotic. So nobody else came, except for Ymir. She'd make sure I was unharmed, and that's how we became friends!"

Eren blinked and suddenly asked, "Are there others…? Of your kind?"

"I did have parents. We owned this little chapel, away from civilization, until… they were wiped out by bandits. " Armin cleared his throat, as if he didn't want to talk about his past. Historia immediately pitied him for losing his precious blood at a such young age. She understood what it felt like to lose someone connected to her: excruciating and unjust. "That's what they did to our village… we were there for five days… and yet it got terrorized. Those girls..." Historia stopped and shivered at the memory.

"I know why Ymir brought you both here." Armin approached them, and they froze in place. "She wants you to learn about this cruel world. And how it came to be." He observed their faces and thought about something. "Both of you are special."

"Does that mean you know about The Failed? And a king? And why men are separated from the women?" Historia questioned, trying not to be impatient. Perhaps this was the moment where she could finally learn everything her sister had been hiding for years. Armin hesitated, but nodded anyway, and took a deep breath. "You might want to sit down," he said. "It is… a lot."

He brought Historia and Eren to the front row of the pews near the altar and let them sit there. Ymir just remained seated near the exit. Armin paced back and forth in the altar, possibly unsure of what to say first, and the teens watched him. "God… how should I start?" Armin chuckled, scratching his head. He stepped over to them and placed one hand on Historia's head, and the other hand on Eren's head.

* * *

 _"_ _Three hundred years ago, there lived a goddess. She was the creator of the land and all living beings. She had the power to heal and could never grow old. One day, she met a child whose eyes were as gold as sunflower petals. An abused orphan, he begged the goddess to take him to heaven, and the goddess pitied him immensely. Humans were not allowed in heaven unless they were dead, so the goddess gave the child a gift: the ability to manipulate the minds of animals. This gift made the child very happy, and he wanted to use this power for good. The goddess declared that this power shall forever be passed down to the future generations of his bloodline. There was only one problem: humans hadn't been exposed to magic yet. The goddess advised him to never use the power in front of others, and for years the child obeyed her._

 _"_ _As time passed, the child grew up, married, and had plenty of children. He was finally content with his life. But it wasn't until his children discovered the power they inherited. When his wife found out, she forgave him and the children. But when the other humans found out, they sought to kill him. They called his family, the Demons with Yellow-Eyes. Keeping his family hidden, he sacrificed his life; the other humans beat him to death with swords and stones._

 _"_ _The goddess was devastated when she discovered the orphan man's body. She went down to the human world to grieve. She held the body close, crying for a day and a night. Her grief caused her to release her rage into the land, causing evil to rise and demons to be born. The rest of her powers were scattered and absorbed by many humans. And even though she was immortal, she died of a broken heart before the sun rose again."_

 _"_ _Many, many decades later… a king rose to power. The king was a tyrant and had an authoritarian perspective on life. His daughter, the princess, was the opposite of her father. Although a child, she was kind and wanted to help the poor. People would bless her upon seeing her, even though the king was against this. Because his wife had died from an unknown illness, the king ordered his nobles to find a maiden who would be fit to be his wife. He needed a male heir to pass down the family name. Eventually, a common woman was chosen to marry the king. She was afraid of the king, so she tried to stay on his good side. Months later, the woman became the next queen and gave birth to a baby girl. The princess was happy for her stepmother, for they grew to love each other over time, and was excited that she was a big sister._

 _"_ _The king was disappointed that the baby was a female. It wasn't until an old woman was invited into the room. She walked towards the new queen, touched the baby's head and closed her eyes. She spoke of a prophecy that the baby will develop an acute heptagram on her back, signifying that she is a reincarnation of the goddess and will meet a golden-eyed boy with the ability to control animals, at the age of fifteen. Together they will overthrow the king._

 _"_ _This prophecy caused both confusion and hysteria. The king wanted the baby to be killed, but his wife refused to let that happen. When she regained the strength, the queen asked the king's knight to help her escape without him knowing. The queen, the knight, and the princess left the castle at midnight with the baby, and the knight told the queen to take the children as far away as possible when the knight got surrounded._

 _"_ _From that point on, the woman found a peaceful place to live in with her two children and raised them on her own, far from the dangerous king, who ordered all the men to search for a girl with a mark on her back for a reward, thus causing a segregation between men and women."_

* * *

It all made sense. Everything Historia wanted to know finally made sense. Everything that had been hidden from her, had been brought to light, just as she had hoped. But she didn't smile. She sat there beside Eren with widened eyes, shocked, connecting the puzzle pieces together inside of her head. She could not believe that this was even remotely true.

Armin set his hands down to his sides. In a single breath he explained one last thing to them: "And that is how the kingdom of Sina became known as… The Land of the Failed."

"Then that means…" Historia's heart began to accelerate. "I'm royalty. And my real father wants to kill me."

"By seeing both of your past memories… you are the feared Blessed Child that will overthrow him, alongside Eren… the boy with golden eyes. Your full name… is Historia Reiss." Armin replied.

"I did everything I could," Ymir suddenly spoke, and got up from her seat. She headed toward the altar and did not look at the others. "I tried… I really tried." She shook her head and put her hands on her chest. From a short distance, they looked like they were shaking. "I was his right hand… he brainwashed me into thinking all abnormalities were bad. Yet I just wanted… to protect the family… I couldn't watch a child be shunned for what they were… I killed so many of my own to save you…" Ymir chuckled and shook her head as she choked on her own voice. Her hands trembled even more.

Before Historia could say anything to comfort her, Eren got up and slowly went up to Ymir. She glanced at him with watery eyes and quickly wiped them. "I'm such a hypocrite, aren't I?" she asked. Eren did not speak. Instead, he hugged her tight. Because he was as tall as she was, he rested his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes. Ymir just froze. "Do you… forgive me?" she asked.

"You only did what you had to." Armin soon went up to her. "You built this persona to protect yourself and your friends. You ostracized yourself, so you wouldn't get attached."

Historia watched the three of them in the altar. She understood everything. She understood why her mother kept her distance. She understood why Frieda got so upset with her when she disobeyed. She understood why Ymir constantly desired to wander and come back to protect those villagers, and Armin. Historia understood who her father really was. Each and every one of them were connected somehow, all because of Historia being born the way she was.

For years, she did not know her real identity and hoped to discover where she belonged in the world. Now, it was all clear.

Historia stood up and ran to Ymir and Eren, to join the embrace. She wrapped her arms around her two best friends. "We can fix this," she said to them. " _I_ can fix this. This world deserves a second chance. _We all_ deserve a second chance."

"Wait, Historia," Armin stuttered. "You're not considering… going to Sina to meet your father, are you?"

Historia let go of her friends to face Armin, and they did the same. She meant what she said. "I am. If the prophecy states that I have to save this world from my father, then I will… I can't bear to see it crumble any longer. I think… I think we should be able to live peacefully, together, regardless of who we are… or _what_ we are."

"It's just that… what will he think…? What will he say? What if he tries to hurt you?" Armin seemed worried.

"Maybe I can talk to him," Historia shrugged, almost unsure herself. "There's no need for a fight."

"No, you don't understand." Ymir suddenly said and took Historia's shoulders. "There is no negotiating with the king. He will not take no for an answer. He will not spare your life. I forbid you to go there."

"You once told me to stop being so afraid of everything. To stop relying on everyone. I understand that now. And I'm not afraid anymore because I know that terrible things will happen no matter what. It is better to try your hardest than to never try at all… Frieda taught me that."

"What would your sister think?" Ymir sighed.

Historia smiled at the thought of her sister. "I'm not sure, to be frank."

Ymir let go of her. She and Armin looked at each other, probably concerned about Historia's sudden determination.

"I will join her," Eren soon stated and went beside Historia to take her hand. "If she goes, I go too."

"Really?" Historia asked. She didn't expect him to agree with her.

"Of course," he replied. "I've had enough of him… after all, he was the reason I was held against my will for so long. He allowed it to happen… and I couldn't do anything about it."

Armin shook his head. "Well… I can't stop you. If you choose to go, then I guess I'll help too."

Historia didn't expect go to Sina as a team, but nobody would let her be alone on the journey. Everyone was on Historia's side… except for Ymir. She wanted Ymir to approve of it so that she could face whatever fears she had. They watched her, praying for the right response. Ymir just scoffed and folded her arms. "God, you kids are annoying," she spoke with a grin. "I can't believe you are going to make me go back there. Might as well since we're not going to separate anytime soon."

"Thank you, Ymir!" Historia cried, and thought of something. "How will this work, though?"

"The king's palace is behind a mountain a few miles away from here," Armin told her. "It isn't a place where you can just walk in… there are guards everywhere. Nobody goes in, nobody goes out, except with special permission. The only people who normally go and return are mercenaries. That is why so many of them go terrorizing villages."

Ymir had an idea. "Armin and I can pretend to be one of them… and bring you two in as 'prisoners.' The king will want to speak to them to figure out a punishment. But it'll be risky."

"I think we can do it." Historia nodded. "I know we can." She soon noticed that the remaining light coming from the windows gradually faded. The room dimmed enough that only the candles illuminated their surroundings. She heard the wind outside, beginning to blow harder against the chapel walls.

"We can't do anything now," Armin said and went to make sure that the front doors were properly locked shut. "There will be a blizzard passing by. You guys might want to stay overnight until the weather calms down."

"A blizzard?" Eren asked, as if he misheard him.

"It's rare for the first snow of the year to become a blizzard… but it looks like nature chose today for it to happen." Armin finished what he was doing and walked back over to Eren with a smile. "Don't worry. I have extra supplies in the other room to keep warm. Clothes being some of them. Come on!" He winked and brought a very modest Eren to the room near the end of the altar.

Historia saw them go and chuckled. She had a feeling that Eren and Armin would be good friends since they were both males and probably had same interests, and she didn't want to interrupt the moment just yet. Ymir just sighed and sat on one of the pews again, rubbing her face. "Are you okay?" Historia wondered, noticing Ymir.

"We'll leave tomorrow for Sina." Ymir spoke.

"Tomorrow?"

"Yeah… It'll be a long hike since we have no mode of transportation… but we're going." Ymir uncovered her face and stared at her feet. Historia stared at her, unsure of what she was going to say next. She wished that she knew what Ymir was thinking, for whatever it was brought a dull, somber expression to Ymir's face.

"Will you promise me something?" She soon asked.

Historia nodded, frowning. "Sure."

"This might sound a bit morbid… but I'll just say it. If… if anything happens to you, Eren, or Armin… I will avenge you all." Ymir paused for a moment, and then looked up at Historia. "But if I am killed in the process… promise me that you will take what is rightfully yours."

Historia replied softly, although saddened by the thought of Ymir perishing. She decided to sit next to Ymir to comfort her. "Of course… I promise. I will do whatever it takes."


	14. Just a Coincidence

**OH MY GOD. I AM SO SORRY GUYS. ITS BEEN A WHOLE MONTH AND A HALF! Please don't hate me for this lol :')**

 **Here's chapter 14 FINALLY, I think it might be rushed and weird but I want to finish this story for you all. So, enjoy! :)**

* * *

Historia couldn't sleep.

She lied on one of the pews, with her head resting on a small pillow and her body covered in a short blanket that Armin supplied for her and the others. She stared at the ceiling above while the blizzard outside continued on and on. Not only was she uncomfortable from laying on wood, Historia couldn't stop thinking about meeting her father for the first time. She wondered how he would react, how he looked like, what his voice sounded like. Historia tried to paint a picture of the scene, but couldn't seem to create him in her head.

 _"_ _Do I really want to meet him?"_ She suddenly thought. What if Armin was right, that her father would try to kill her and her friends? How would Frieda react if she never got to see Historia ever again because of it? As bad as they fought that day, Historia knew Frieda was worried sick. Eventually, Historia wondered what Frieda was doing. Then, she wondered what her mother was doing. If they cared that she was gone. Then she wondered if Petra was watching down on her from somewhere, trying to warn her. Then she wondered if Armin was trustworthy, despite him coming off as gentle and kind. Her mind just wandered.

Soon, Historia sat up. She looked over at the pew in front of hers and saw Ymir sleeping soundly on it. Armin was sleeping in the other room where there was only one small bed fit for him. Historia stood up to stretch and decided to go look out of one of the stained-glass windows to see if it was still snowing. But when she turned around, she noticed Eren sitting upright way in a corner near the exit. She went over to him as quietly as possible, tip-toeing in order to keep Ymir asleep. "Hey," Historia whispered. Eren jerked his head up after staring at the dagger in his hand for an uncertain amount of time. "Oh. Hello." He raised his voice, surprised.

"Shh!" Historia hushed him. "Why are you awake?"

Eren softened his voice and shrugged. "I can't sleep."

"We have a long day tomorrow."

"I know, but…" Eren paused.

"You aren't used to it, are you?" Historia asked.

"What?"

"Resting."

Eren shook his head. "No, it's not that… it's something else." He looked at the floor again and Historia went on her knees in front of him. "Then what is it?" She wanted to know.

"I know I said I'd go with you to Sina," he replied after a sigh. "But I've been thinking about how everything will unfold."

"You're worried." Historia smiled. "And it's okay. I've been thinking about the same thing… but if this king really is my father, then maybe I would be able to talk to him instead of fighting with him."

"Historia… he is not who you think he is," Eren spoke softly.

"Right, but…"

"What if what you're wrong?" He stopped after realizing what he was saying. "I just don't want to lose any of you… you are all I have left."

Historia frowned and understood his fear. But she believed he had nothing to worry about. "Listen, Eren. From the day we met, we've defended each other and protected each other from danger. You've saved my life more times than I could even count… and it's time I repay you for all those times. And if we work together… me, you, Ymir, and Armin… then I think we'll be fine. But you just have to trust in me." She took his hand.

"I do trust you," Eren said in a heartbeat. "I just don't trust the future."

Soon, the two teens noticed rays of colorful bright lights, coming from the stained windows. The both stood up to investigate what was out there. But it wasn't something that was simply outside: it was something in the sky. Her body suddenly filled with astonishment, Historia smiled and went to the chapel doors. Eren quickly got a hold of her hand before she could leave. "Wait! We are not allowed to leave."

Historia gave him a sly grin. "I won't go anywhere… I'll sit right outside the door. Come on, I know you want to see it too!"

"Fine," Eren whispered and tip-toed with her through the doors. Once they stepped outside together, they were met with cold air. The blizzard had been long over, and what was only left of it was an inch of snow that went up to their ankles. The sky was clear, the stars were out, and when Historia and Eren looked up they saw the green northern lights, illuminating the white earth. The snow glittered as the lights in the sky danced and wiggled.

Historia closed the chapel doors and walked into the snow alongside Eren. "It's so beautiful," she breathed, ignoring the cold.

"Wow." Eren had no words and stared at the aurora as if he never laid eyes on it before.

"I'm so glad we came out in time… Frieda and I used to watch this every winter!"

"Do you think she's watching it right now?"

"I hope so." Historia replied and decided to lay herself down on the snow, regardless of its temperature.

"You'll get sick," Eren advised. But Historia told him not to worry and to join him. So he did; he lied on the snow beside Historia and watched the lights with her. It was a much better way of viewing the lights, rather than straining their necks. For a moment, Historia felt as if she was at home again with her sister, as if all of her problems did not exist. She wondered if she should wake Ymir and Armin, but she couldn't allow herself to miss the lights. Historia turned her head to see if Eren was watching the aurora and enjoying it, but realized he was not... instead, Eren was watching her.

"What is it?" Historia asked, not thinking anything of it.

"Nothing." Eren blinked and looked back up at the sky so that she wouldn't see his face.

"Oh," she replied. Suddenly, she developed a feeling that she never felt before. It wasn't fear; it an instinct that was trying to tell her something. But she couldn't figure out what it meant.

* * *

When morning came, Ymir and Armin were already ready to make the journey to Sina, along with Historia and Eren who were standing in the snow with them. Ymir wore a heavy fur coat that Armin preserved for her, and she had put her sword in the scabbard hanging off of her waist. Armin wore the same heavy white cloak around his body, and underneath was a silky blue tunic. For Historia, Armin gave her another one of his heavy cloaks to keep her warm enough. And for Eren, Armin let him use an old sheath so that Eren wouldn't have to keep holding his dagger in his hands. Historia appreciated Armin's generosity, and wondered how he didn't end up like those other evil men she came across. "Thank you," Historia beamed at him.

"It's no problem at all!" Armin giggled after blushing slightly.

"Did you make these cloaks yourself?"

"No, they were actually my parents'. I'm not sure where they got it but… they always wore it for the winter time. These should keep us both warm, just as they kept my parents warm."

"They already do!" Historia felt the cloak with her face, and Armin giggled at her again.

"Shit." Ymir glanced at the vast, seemingly infinite field of sparkling snow. "It's going to take ages for us to walk to Sina like this." She glanced at her boots, which had sunken into the snow that reached up to her ankles. "I just hope we'll make it before it snows again."

"It is pretty bright right now." Armin looked up and saw few clouds in the sky, while the sun peeked through. "It shouldn't snow again, at least until the sun sets."

"I must say," Ymir glanced around again. "I haven't seen this much snow in a while. It really is lovely." She inhaled deeply, taking in as much freshly cold air as she could, and then let it out.

"It's my favorite time of year," Historia soon spoke her mind. "Both me and my sister's. We used to make angles in it."

"Well…it's the most annoying time of year, for me. It'll be such a pain in the ass to walk through this. But we'll have to suck it up, for you. And for this world, I guess…"

"Wait. Where is Eren?" Historia realized that her friend was not beside her anymore. She glanced around and followed his footprints left in the snow. But she didn't get too worried, for he was only a short distance away; he just remained there with his back facing the others, and his eyes were shut. Historia went up behind him, along with Armin and Ymir. "Eren, what are you doing?" she asked. He ignored her and squeezed his eyes shut a little bit more, focusing on something in particular. Maybe he's calling animals over to them, Historia thought. But why? And what kind of animals would be out here at this time?

"You might want to hurry, Eren." Ymir said, becoming a little impatient.

"Quiet," Eren whispered sternly. "Just be quiet. Don't speak."

"Fine." She folded her arms. Historia and Armin suddenly hushed Ymir, and she smirked, for she was just trying tease him. Soon came an awkward silence that didn't last very long. Historia heard the sounds of several animals running towards the little group in a distance. She squinted her eyes at what seemed like not one, not two, but four canines that were larger and taller than normal grey wolves. Ymir and Armin frowned in shock as the four huge canines arrived before Eren, while Historia couldn't help but walk towards them. They were dire wolves; something Historia never thought she'd see in her life. She'd read about them in books and knew they were rare to find in winter. Each one of the four dire wolves varied in color: one was onyx, the next one was a smoky silver, another was an icy white, and the last was a mix of all three. Each of their eyes had glowed a golden yellow, and they stood proud and tall as if they each had been leaders of their own packs. They were much higher than Eren was, and he was the tallest amongst his friends.

Historia walked up to the dire wolf with onyx fur first, and reached out her hand to pet its snout. It blinked and nuzzled its face against Historia's cheek after giving her a kiss. "I never thought I'd see one… never!" she cried.

Eren exhaled and opened his eyes, having successfully called the dire wolves over. "I knew these would help us get to Sina… so I searched, until I found them and brought them over. They are not as rare as they seem. They just like to hide during the winter," he explained.

"Thank you Eren," Historia happily gave him a quick hug and went back to petting the onyx dire wolf. "I don't know how you do it! They're so beautiful!"

"I think she likes you," Eren said, noticing how attached the canine already was to Historia.

"You think so?"

"Yes. All I did with my powers was to make them obey us. Since they are dire wolves, they still have their own temperaments and preferences."

"I see…I love her already," Historia replied. The black dire wolf laid on the snow and allowed Historia to climb on her back. When she stood back up, Historia had to lean forward and hold onto a chunk of fur to stay balanced. She was amazed at how high up she was from the ground.

Ymir cautiously approached the silver dire wolf. "Impressive. Very impressive. I didn't think you could do it," she told Eren and pet the silver wolf's snout.

Eren narrowed his eyebrows. "You seem to underestimate me."

"Relax, I'm just making fun. You solved our problem." Ymir grinned at him, while the silver dire wolf allowed Ymir to climb on its back.

Armin knew it was his turn to pick a wolf, but he seemed too nervous to do so. He was still at a loss for words. "Wow…" he just whispered.

"What's wrong?" Eren asked.

Armin swallowed and tried to make light of it. "Nothing… I just… never rode a giant animal like this before… perhaps I'm a bit intimidated…"

Suddenly, Eren came over and grabbed his hand. He brought Armin over to the white dire wolf. Eren made Armin put his hand on it's snout to get his scent. "She won't hurt you," Eren told Armin softly. "Just pet her."

"Okay," Armin sighed and pet the wolf's snout. Soon enough, she smothered Armin's face with kisses. "Oh, she really does like me!" He giggled.

"I told you." Eren smiled gently and soon climbed up on the multicolored dire wolf.

Once everyone was on their dire wolf, Armin decided to direct the others north where Sina would be, according to the little map that he occasionally stopped to look at. And when it was time to leave, the group of four held on to their wolf's fur to keep them from falling off. The dire wolves rushed without hesitation, each running at about twenty-three miles per hour. They jumped over every obstacle like giant rocks or fallen trees, and pushed through the snow as if it were nothing. Occasionally Historia and Eren's wolves would try to race each other to see which could go the fastest while the others had to catch up, and Historia couldn't stop laughing at how determined her wolf was. She had the time of her life sitting on her wolf; she thought that she was flying because of how fast they were moving. When they were side by side, Historia tried to wave at Eren but it proved to be a dangerous idea for her; she wasn't good at keeping balance yet. Eren just smiled and waved back at her for a moment, until he frowned again.

It had been another two hours since their last break, and already Eren's wolf was beginning to slow down. They sensed something approaching them, something sinister and possibly life threatening. Eventually, Eren's wolf began to snarl at something and the three other wolves followed along. In the distance there was a noise that sounded oddly like whistling. It grew closer and closer, until the dire wolves surrounded Historia's group as if to protect them. "Hey," Armin spoke, nervous. "Where is that howling coming from?"

"That sound, I know that sound." Eren said, feeling a little better now even though he stood with Historia's help.

"Are you making them do this?" Historia then asked.

Eren shook his head. "No. All I did was make them believe we were their owners… and I think they're protecting us from demons…"

"You've got to be kidding me." Ymir interjected.

"What kind of demons, Eren?" Historia grew worried and rubbed her arms. The wind suddenly picked up and snow surrounded them as if they were stuck in the middle of a blizzard. The whistles did not come from the wind; it sounded man-made. Eren noticed several silhouettes and he pulled Historia close to shield her from whoever, or _whatever_ it was. Armin stood close by Ymir, who got her sword ready on the defensive. The dire wolves growled and barked and did everything they could to scare off whatever was threatening everyone.

"A-are you going to answer her, Eren?" Armin questioned, fearing what was to come.

Eren didn't seem afraid at all. It was as if he'd seen these demons before. "In this region… _they_ appear. The Frost Spirits."

The silhouettes, all seven of them, approached the group and the wolves. They converted from hovering shadows to apparitions of people with severe frostbite on their bodies. The spirits stood at seven feet and intimidated Historia as she watched, but felt no reason to fear just yet, because they did not attack. Eren told everyone to stay behind him as he carefully stepped forward to the spirits. "Stop, what are you doing, you idiot?" Ymir cried, concerned for Eren's safety. He just ignored her and looked at the male, burly spirit standing in the middle of his squad.

"Boy," the Frost Spirit said in a deep voice that echoed. "Why have you returned?"

"I can explain." Eren looked up at him in the spirit's white eyes. "These people and I, these wolves… we mean no harm to you. We desire to reach the Land of the Failed."

"And for what?" the spirit questioned him again.

"It's urgent that we visit the king… extremely urgent."

"You know the rule, boy. Nobody crosses this region alive… not unless a sacrifice is made."

Ymir was losing her patience. "What the hell is he talking about, Eren?! Have you been here before?!" she shouted. Armin took her arm to hush her, but she shook him off.

Eren glared at her for a moment. "Ymir, shut your damn mouth."

"The last time you came to this region," the spirit began, "You were weak and afraid. We had given you one chance to escape this place and never come back. That was our only leeway. And yet you return to risk it all again. Why?"

"To save her," Eren admitted, pointing at Historia. "I'm trying to save her. _We_ are trying to save her."

"From what? From whom? Do you really think the place past this point can rescue her?"

Historia suddenly realized something about the spirits. She ran over to where Eren was and knelt before the spirits. "If I may," she began. "Were you all once human? Were you once humans who were trying to escape and died without peace, because they abused you? That must be why you made this rule, because you are all broken. You want to be at peace, isn't it?"

The spirit frowned and glared at Historia. "You dare question our intentions?"

"I'm just saying that… you gave Eren a chance because there was good in you. And I know there is _still_ good in you." Historia clasped her hands together and bowed her head. Eren watched what she was doing in both amazement and shock, because he had no idea how the Frost Spirits would react. Ymir and Armin watched anxiously from behind, hoping that there wouldn't be any reason for a fight to occur. Each of the dire wolves had calmed down, yet they held their guard up as they watched the demons.

"Please let us pass. And after that, we'll never cross over her again." Historia said.

The Frost Spirits looked at each other and nodded. The burly spirit sighed and told Historia to stand up. When she did, the spirit came up with an idea. Soon, he spoke down to her. "You have courage, girl. You must have grown strong, just as the boy. It is clear that you understand our existence. And for that, we won't ask a sacrifice from you. But there is a price for everything."

"What do you want?" Eren asked, although hoping it wouldn't be dangerous.

"We will bring you to The Land of the Failed. In return, you must sacrifice a part of you, or something beloved. Is that a deal?"

"Deal. I'll do it," Eren replied. But the thought of sacrificing something of his filled him with uneasiness. Everyone watched as Eren took out the dagger from his sheath, and held out his hand. "I'll do it so none of my friends have to." He faced the Frost Spirit with determination.

Historia took his shoulder and whispered, "Are you sure about this?"

Eren just took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes." He quickly put the blade against the palm of his hand and prepared himself for the incoming pain. But, before he could successfully slice a thin line down his palm, Eren's multicolored dire wolf walked past him. He paused, wondering why the wolf was suddenly interested in the spirits. The wolf closed her eyes and bowed her head until the leader of the spirits spoke.

"It seems that your dire wolf is giving herself up," the burly Frost Spirit said.

"What? That can't be." Eren tugged on the wolf's tail. "Please get back. Now." His wolf turned to him and she gave him a look which filled him with sorrow. Her glowing yellow eyes were fading back to their original colors, yet she watched him as if she was trying to tell him something; a final goodbye. "Why are you doing this?" Eren asked, putting away his weapon and grabbing a handful of her fur.

The wolf soon came over to face him. She nuzzled her face against Eren's and licked his cheek once, leaving it moist by the time she turned her back on him. She was ready to be sacrificed so that Eren and his friends wouldn't have to. Ymir, Armin, and Historia were startled when the three remaining dire wolves sat down and howled a song for Eren's wolf to hear before she went. Once she was satisfied, she began to walk away. Nearby, a thick cloud of ice and fog formed, spinning and twisting as the wind blew. The dire wolf took her time to enter it, and soon made it far enough that only a shadow of her presence was left.

"It is settled then," the spirit declared. "The dire wolf has made her decision to spare her life."

"No," Eren tried to run after the wolf, but Historia caught his arm before he could get too far. She could see how upset he was by the way he roughly pulled her away. "She didn't have to do that… why her? It was supposed to be me." Eren's voice shook.

The spirit replied, "Sometimes, you do not get a choice. You must understand that."

"It will be okay, Eren. She's in a better world now." Historia smiled, yet pitied him. " _Wait,_ " a thought rapidly broke into her mind. " _Something doesn't feel right._ " Historia frowned and looked at all seven of the spirits. "Will you bring us to Sina now?" she asked as politely as possible.

All seven of them answered her in unison. "The price has been paid. A deal is a deal."

"Finally, we're going somewhere!" Ymir exclaimed with relief. Armin nodded and thanked the spirits for helping them. The two climbed on their dire wolves while the teens climbed on Historia's onyx dire wolf. Eren held on to Historia as he stared off into the snow below, distraught that he had to give his wolf up. The spirits raised their hands and chanted a few words in their language. Snow began to rise and spin around the group, as if a tornado was forming around them. The cyclone grew faster and faster, until the group could no longer see the seven demons known as Frost Spirits. They were within the cyclone, appearing as shadows to everyone else. Historia thought to herself again as her hair waved. " _Why does this seem… familiar?_ "

The seven spirits threw their arms down, and just like that, the group along with their dire wolves were brought to a new place before they could blink their eyes. When the cyclone died down and the snow fell back to the ground, the clouds in the sky began to separate. Everyone looked at their surroundings, and the seven spirits were nowhere to be seen. There were ruins upon ruins around them; dead trees, burnt carriages, brick houses missing walls to them. A small chapel missing its roof and scorched black around it. Stones and pieces of metal scattered within the path.

Historia noticed a tall palace past a frozen river in the distance. Above the river was a drawbridge where people seemingly stood to guard whatever came in and out. She heard nothing but silence; there were no birds to fill it with songs. Historia climbed down from her wolf and looked around. Each object she came across poked at her brain. " _I… I have been here before._ "

"Well, at least we didn't have to continue the long trip here." Ymir hopped off of her wolf and stretched.

Armin remained and looked around out of curiosity. "I haven't seen Sina in a long, long time."

Eren carefully climbed off of the black dire wolf and pet her. "I can't bear to look around," he whispered.

"I've been here before." Historia said, almost too loudly. Everyone looked at her as if she was being foolish. She turned to them and held her breath.

"You and I both know that's false." Ymir replied, an eyebrow raised.

Historia shook her head. "N-no, I'm serious. Everything that just happened. The Frost Spirits. Eren's wolf leaving us. Everything that was said, where we were just brought to… I've been through it before. At least, it feels like I have."

"Well," Ymir sighed. "Perhaps you're being reminded of the stories you read long ago. A coincidence."

"It all just happened so fast… how could that be?" Historia wondered.

Armin soon jumped off of his white dire wolf and walked up to the others with a determined smile on his face. "So, what's the plan for going inside the palace? We can't just walk right in." Everyone turned to him, yet Historia thought it was odd that he changed the subject out of nowhere. He seemed harmless, but for him it was quite abnormal behavior. She didn't think of it too much, though. Historia wondered if said coincidences by Ymir were true. But as everyone began to strategize a plan, she realized that everything they were saying were things she recognized. She couldn't put her finger on where, why, or how and it bothered her.

She hoped Ymir was right.


End file.
